


Red Silver

by PerrythePlatypusGirl



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: M/M, alter-ego shenanigans, hero/villain au, it's like Miraculous Ladybug but Extreme, superhero au, the other characters are here too but they're in the bg mostly, typical superhero violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-03
Updated: 2019-08-30
Packaged: 2020-02-16 16:41:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 39,608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18695341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PerrythePlatypusGirl/pseuds/PerrythePlatypusGirl
Summary: To many, he's Shiro, a normal guy with a job, friends and a boyfriend he adores.But behind the scenes, he's Silverwing, defending New Arus against the super criminal Red Shadow.He can totally keep these two lives separate.





	1. Silverwing

"Allura! Do you have a read on what's going on??"

The city of New Arus was experiencing a crisis. Again.

Normally, when a criminal was trying to get their hands on a large, precious jewel, the authorities would deal with it. But this was no ordinary criminal. Red Shadow was a frequent threat, but that didn't make him any less dangerous. With highetened telekinetic powers that could make a building collapse at a whim if he so wished, he could only be taken down by someone who was equally, if not more, powerful.

Luckily, he wasn't the only one in the city with unexplained superpowers. Whenever Red Shadow decided to get frisky, the city would turn to one man: Silverwing.

He had the ability to fly and the strength to carry several tons with ease. Pretty generic as far as superpowers go, but even so, he was the only one who could go toe to toe with Red Shadow. And right now, that's what he was being called to do.

It wasn't hard to spot the beams of red aura in the distance as he sped past the skyscrapers. From his earpiece, Silverwing could hear his friend Allura talking to him, relaying whatever information she and Pidge could find.

 _"The Jewel of Jitan was taken from the Museum of New Arus,"_ Allura told him. _"It looks like he just waltzed right in and took it. Nobody could stop him."_

 _"It had five layers of security around it too,"_ Pidge added. _"Nobody was able to do anything."_

"Yeah, that sounds like his style," Silverwing grunted. He watched the red glow in the distance as it moved away from its initial location, and turned to follow it. "I'll cut him off before he can get too far, you guys make sure everyone is safe."

Silverwing sped forward, frustration eating at him. He'd been in the middle of something when he'd been called out to fight. Figures that Red Shadow would have the worst timing in the world. He'd foiled Red Shadow's plans dozens of times, but never managed to actually catch him. That would end today. Whoever was behind that mask would finally come to justice, and Silverwing could live the rest of his life in peace.

The red aura got bigger as Silverwing got closer. Red Shadow was using his power to create a shield around himself, making him immune to anyone trying to stop him by normal means. At the same time, he made it almost impossible to chase him by moving cars and other obstacles in the way behind him. As much as Silverwing hated the guy, he had to admit those mental powers were impressive. Being able to move multiple heavy objects at the same time and create a force field around himself was a testament to how powerful he was. Silverwing had to outsmart him--brute force wouldn't win.

As he flew toward his target, he finally spotted him below. He wore the typical red mask on his face and a matching red bandana covered his hair, with the rest of his outfit being completely black, and he was running off with the jewel tucked underneath his arm. Silverwing frowned, trying to figure out his plan from here.

He waited until Red Shadow was far enough away from the more populated areas, cars piled up behind him. Silverwing dove, coming at him from the other direction. He sped up, flying toward him at full force. Red Shadow didn't see him coming until it was too late. Silverwing crashed into him, sending Red Shadow flying backwards into his own barrier of cars and dropping the jewel. The impact could have left anyone else with multiple broken bones, but as it stood, even Silverwing's super strength was just enough to break through that telekinetic force field.

For a moment, Red Shadow lost his focus. The aura disappeared, and the barrier of cars started to topple. Silverwing acted fast. He dashed forward, grabbed the jewel off the ground and using his other hand to stop a car from falling right on top of them both.

"Give up," Silverwing finally painted. "You've lost what you came for. Your plan failed."

Red Shadow was still on his hands and knees, and Silverwing figured that he was still reorienting himself--when he was suddenly pushed back by a force just as strong has his own. Before he could figure out what was going on, Red Shadow was running again.

Silverwing cursed under his breath--he couldn't let him disappear again! He tossed the jewel to the hands of a nearby cop and gave chase.

Another barrier was already being built. With the force of his strength and his sheer frustration, Silverwing burst through it....and there was nothing.

Red Shadow had already managed to slip away, and the aura was gone.

Silverwing just grumbled again, catching a couple of the falling cars. Failed again. At least he'd managed to get the jewel back.

\---

Silverwing was back in his secret hideout with Pidge, Matt and Allura. Though, without the superhero outfit on, he was just Shiro.

"So what's the status?" Shiro asked tiredly, stepping out in his normal clothes.

Allura and Matt were standing next to Pidge on the computer. Shiro joined them.

"A decent amount of property damage," Allura reported. "But injuries are minimal, and most of the Jewel of Jitan is back intact."

Shiro frowned. "What do you mean _most_ of it?"

"Red Shadow managed to get away with just a chip of it," Pidge replied. "That will be enough to get a fortune on the black market for sure--but that's not to worry about, okay? Everyone is happy and safe. You saved the day again, Shiro."

Shiro sighed. "Yeah, but I still couldn't catch him," he grumbled. "I may have won, but he'll be back again any day now."

"Dude, give yourself a break," Matt told him. "You're fighting against a guy who can move buildings with his mind. Considering you got the jewel and nobody is seriously hurt, that's basically a miracle in itself."

"You'll outsmart him one day, Shiro," Allura reassured him with a pat on the shoulder. "Go get some rest, we'll take a look at the rest of the statistics."

Shiro was too tired to argue.

When he stepped outside, nobody knew he was the hero who had saved them. That was fine by him. He didn't want to be defined by his powers, and when he wasn't forced to fight, he'd like to lead a normal life.

So, Shiro got into his normal car and drove to his normal home, got into his normal bed and tried to think about his normal day job that he'd be going to tomorrow.

Usually, someone like him would find office work to be boring and a waste of potential. But Shiro didn't mind it. The mundane, routine work did wonders to soothe his mind from all the pressures of being a superhero. There was another bright side to his job too, and the thought managed to bring a smile to Shiro's face. He would see that bright side again tomorrow, gingerly stirring coffee like he always did and replying to conversations with that soft voice.

Managing to finally soothe himself, Shiro drifted off to sleep.

\---

The office that Shiro worked at as a civilian was a nice place full of friendly people. He wasn't super close to any of them at the moment, but he could still call them friends at least. They were good company, and it was nice to have some people in his life who thought he was just a normal guy.

Three of those people were hanging around in the break room when Shiro went to grab a snack. Lance, Hunk, and Shay were all standing around chatting, and Hunk immediately greeted Shiro when he walked in.

"Hey, morning, Shiro!"

"Hey guys," Shiro replied. "Taking your lunch break already?"

"More like our 'listen to Lance talk a lot' break," giggled Shay.

"Hey, leave me alone!" Lance retorted. "I'm in a bad mood, ok? My car was completely wrecked yesterday by Red Shithead!"

Shiro snorted into his coffee. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, we're all fine," Lance sighed. "We were shoved out of the car before it flew away."

Hunk hummed. "Cars flying away. That guy terrifies me, to be honest. Why do the cool, powerful psychic abilities have to go to the guy who'd use them to destroy half the city?"

"He's selfish," Shiro replied, disdain obvious in his voice. "If he'd use his power to help people instead of steal from them, we wouldn't have any problems. He's the worst kind of person I can imagine."

The door opened and someone else walked in. They all turned to see who it was.

Shiro brightened, and Shay turned to greet him. "Hi, Keith!"

Keith waved at her, then at Shiro with a smile, and headed to the coffee station. Shiro smiled back. He really tried not to stare, but it was tough. Even in his groggy morning mood, Keith just looked so cute.

Keith finished making his coffee and walked over to their group, smiling at Shiro again. "Hi," he said softly. "What are you guys talking about?"

"Lance's dead car insurance," Hunk snorted.

_"Urgh."_

"Red Shadow?" Keith smirked. "Good, now I don't have to listen to you talk about that stupid car all the time."

"Do you have no sensitivity??" Lance snapped. "I lost something near and dear to my heart!"

Lance continued rambling and Keith was already ignoring him. Shiro turned to him, and noticed the large bandage on his hand.

"What happened to your hand?" He asked.

Keith faltered a little. "Oh, that? Uh, just a little accident when I was working on my bike yesterday."

"Oh yeah, the one you've been talking about. How's that going, by the way?"

"It's almost done." Keith took a sip and glanced at him coyly. "I can...bring it around here sometime if you want to see it."

"Yeah that...would be pretty cool."

They paused, just looking at each other for a moment.

Hunk coughed. "So uh, I guess we just don't exist anymore?"

"Hunk, don't interrupt them when when they're in their little bubble," Shay replied.

Both Shiro and Keith tensed up and Keith's face turned red.

"I-I gotta get back to work," Keith stammered. "I'll see you guys later." He hurried out of the room, leaving everyone else behind to laugh at Shiro.

Lance leaned on Shiro's shoulder. "I'll be honest, I'm not sure what you see in that guy, but as long as you're happy, I'll support you."

"It's not like that..." Shiro replied futilely.

They all snorted. "You're good at a lot of things, Shiro," said Hunk. "But you're a bad liar. And Keith is even worse. Just ask him out already, save us from the suffering of watching you pine."

"You think the suffering of watching them be a couple would be any better?"

"I mean, true, but at least they'll be happy, right?"

Shiro just tapped on his cup. It wasn't like he hadn't thought about it before. As if he hadn't imagined Keith smiling at him over a shared smoothie, Keith taking him for rides on that motorcycle he was working on, Keith finding out about his secret identity and getting indecisive, Keith being put into all kinds of danger because of it--

Shiro sipped his coffee. "Maybe," he said shortly. "I have to get back to work too."

He left the break room and went back to the office. He caught sight of Keith once more and his traitorous heart soared. Maybe Lance and Hunk were right. Maybe he deserved this little bit of happiness in his life.

\--

"Hey, can I get you guys' advice on something?"

Pidge, Matt and Allura looked up from whatever they were doing.

"Sure, buddy, what's up?" replied Matt.

Shiro bit his lip. "Do you think it would be...fair for someone like me to be in a relationship?"

Allura raised her eyebrow. "What do you mean fair?"

"For the other person, I mean. I don't exactly lead a normal life and I don't want to put anyone in danger, but..."

Pidge grinned. "Is this about the guy at work you're always talking about?"

Shiro flushed and nodded.

"Shiro, don't worry about that," Allura said. "You're able to protect an entire city full of people on the regular. I don't think you have to worry about putting one guy in danger."

"I agree," Matt added, "Who wouldn't want Silverwing caring specifically for them? Sounds like a dream come true."

Allura shook her head at him but smiled at Shiro again. "Look, we want you to be happy. Don't hold yourself back from anything, especially not from love."

Shiro nodded slowly.

"And we'll be his bodyguards if you really want," said Pidge.

Shiro smiled. "Ok. Ok, I think I'll do it."

Matt whooped, and Pidge clapped. "Yeah, go get him! Can't wait to finally meet this guy."

—-

Shiro waited until they were almost done with their work day, trying to psych himself up in the meantime. He was going to do this. He was going to ask Keith out and go on a nice date with him, without worrying about any superhero stuff at all.

He was getting a bit jittery to be honest. It had been a while since he'd felt anything like this, this excitement and nervousness in the pit of his stomach. He felt like a little kid again.

Keith got up from his desk and headed over to the break room. Shiro spotted him, took a deep breath, and got up to follow. _Here goes nothing._

"Hey, Keith!" Shiro called cheerfully as he walked in.

Keith jumped a little, but turned to Shiro with a smile. "Uh, hey Shiro. How's your day going?"

Shiro shrugged nonchalantly, moving closer to grab a couple of biscuits. "Ah, you know, the usual. Just finishing up so I can get home, you know?"

Keith chuckled. "Yeah, I feel you. Nothing going on for me either. You doing anything this weekend?"

Shiro clicked his tongue. "Uh...no. Don't really have anything planned yet."

"Me neither."

"Cool." He paused, steeled himself, and went for it. "Hey listen, Keith, uh...since neither of us are doing anything, I've been meaning to ask...um, if you'd like, maybe...I was wondering if you wanted to grab some lunch with me on Saturday."

Keith looked like he was going to drop his cup.

It took him a moment to stop gaping and start talking again, and he was already red in face.

"I--uh, you mean, uh--like, a date? A lunch date?"

Shiro shrugged shyly. "Yeah. If you want to."

Keith opened and closed his mouth a few times like a fish, looking like he couldn't believe this was happening. Finally he managed to reply, "Y-yeah."

Shiro beamed, relieved. "Great! I can't wait."

"Me neither," Keith replied, breathless.

Shiro wanted to scoop him up into a hug, but restrained himself. Keith was a closed off person and he probably wasn't ready for that yet. This was enough for now.

"I have to go back in, but, I'll call you after work, okay?"

Keith nodded.

Shiro turned on his heel and practically skipped his way back to his desk. He felt like he was walking on air--and he was someone who could fly!

His coworkers glanced at him curiously, and it didn't take them long to figure out what had happened. All they could do was shake their heads in amusement.


	2. Red Shadow

Pidge click-clacked away at her keyboard, filling the room with noise. Beside her, Allura was scrolling through something on her phone with a bored look on her face.

"Looks like the last of the Unilu gang finally got rounded up," Allura announced. "Thank goodness, now we don't have to deal with their opportunistic asses anymore."

"Were those the guys that would go on stealing sprees while everyone was busy with Red Shadow?" Matt asked.

"Yes. They're gone now, but it's only a matter of time before someone else pops up to replace them. That always happens."

"Evil never rests," Shiro muttered.

"I dunno," Pidge piped up. "Your buddy Red Shadow has been awfully quiet lately."

"Well, I guess he finally realized that nobody wants him around."

Pidge snorted.

"Anyway, it sounds like everything is going normally--any superhero stuff I need to know about?"

"Nothing urgent," said Pidge. "But I _have_ been working on upgrades for your suit!"

Shiro tried not to cringe. "Oh, that's awesome, Pidge. Uh, what...new thing will I be able to do this time?"

"Shoot lasers from your fingers!"

Shiro sighed. "That sounds great, Pidge." He turned to grab his bag and stood up. "If that's it, though, I guess we're done here. I'm heading out."

Allura stood up as well. "I need to go too. I have guests coming over tonight and my place is a mess."

The Holt siblings waved at them as Shiro and Allura headed toward the elevator that would take them out of their hideout.

"Who's coming over?" Shiro asked curiously.

"Romelle's back in town for spring break and she's bringing her brother," Allura told him. "They'll be spending a couple weeks with me. What about you, where are you headed?"

Shiro smiled. "A date."

"Keith again?" Allura asked, and grinned when Shiro nodded. "How many dates have you been on so far?"

"Five."

"Oooh, sounds pretty serious. When are you going to introduce him to us?"

"Hopefully soon," Shiro replied with a sigh. "You'll love him, he's such a great guy. Even if he doesn't know it."

They arrived in Shiro's home, and Allura quickly headed to the front door.

"I can't wait," she said as Shiro saw her out. "You have fun, okay? I'll see you soon."

Allura waved sweetly and left. Shiro wasted no time heading back to his room to get ready.

—

They were walking casually down a sidewalk, loosely holding hands and sipping on drinks. Keith blew his bangs out of his face.

"So, I'm thinking I might get a dog," he said.

"Yeah?" asked Shiro. "What kind?"

"Not sure. But I like the bigger breeds for sure. They're smarter and less annoying. The guard dog type."

Shiro grinned. "I never pegged you as a dog person."

"Why not? Don't I come off as one?"

"You act exactly like a cat."

Keith frowned. "I do not."

"Yes you do. You're aloof, and independent, you put a ton of milk in your coffee, and—."

"Ok stop, I get it," Keith pouted. "Thanks a lot, Shiro."

"It was a compliment," Shiro replied, giving him a playful nudge. "I think it's cute, that's part of why I like you so much."

Keith's cheeks turned pink. "Part of it?"

"Yeah. I also like that you're smart, and you're easy to talk to, and you've got a good heart."

Keith was completely red now, slowing to a stop and looking at the ground. "You really think that about me?"

"Of course." Shiro also paused and leaned down to catch his eye, smiling playfully. "Sorry, am I being too sappy?"

"No, it's just...no one's ever said anything like that to me before."

Shiro pulled him aside. They sat down on a nearby bench, and Shiro put his drink down so he could hold Keith's hands in both of his own.

"Well, I mean it," Shiro said softly. "We've been going out together a lot and...I really like being with you. I hope we can do it all the time."

Keith looked up at him again, smiling shyly. "Yeah. Me too."

Shiro's heart skipped a beat and he slowly leaned forward. Keith's breath hitched, but he didn't move, giving Shiro silent permission to close the gap and bring their lips together.

Keith sighed into the kiss, and Shiro couldn't help but smile. He was happy. Even though his life was hectic, at least he now had Keith to make it better.

\---

To say that Keith felt good after the date was an understatement. He felt like he was soaring, and absolutely nothing could bring him down. If someone had told him a few weeks ago that the attractive sweetheart from work would not only like him back, but also go out with him several times and even _kiss_ him, he'd have laughed. Even now, he wasn't fully convinced it was happening.

Keith parked his car in front of his old apartment building, and sat back. He brought a hand to his mouth and recalled the feeling of Shiro's lips on his own. The joyful tingle in his spine returned at the thought, and he smiled. Ah, dammit, he was acting like a sappy teenage girl about this. But he didn't care. Being with Shiro was the first thing that had made him truly happy in...a really long time.

Keith hummed to himself as he made his way up to his apartment. When he got inside, he tossed his bag onto a chair, changed his clothes and started making himself something to eat, all while smiling like a total loser.

"Have fun on your date?"

Keith felt his blood run cold at the voice. He turned, noticing the TV screen in his apartment was switched on to show the shadow of that person he never wanted to see, but always had to.

Keith gulped. "What do you want?"

"I am growing impatient," the man drawled, his deep voice sending shivers into Keith's very soul. "You're taking longer than usual to complete your mission."

Keith bit his lip. "I'm working on it, I've been...working on a plan."

"You've been distracted."

Keith stiffened. "I—I haven't!" He paused to snarl at the screen. "What do you care what I've been doing?! You said you don't care what I get up to outside of missions!"

"And I don't, so long as it doesn't hinder your work. I don't need to remind you of our agreement, do I, Red Shadow?"

Keith froze again, hesitating, hating the way his code name sounded from this man's mouth. "...I remember," he replied quietly. "I will complete the mission soon."

"You'd better."

There was a tense pause, and Keith waited for him to leave. But instead, the man spoke again, this time seeming to mock him.

"I must ask. Do you think it's fair to get someone else involved in this?" The man asked.

Keith grit his teeth. It wasn't like he'd forgotten, but he had tried to pretend that the problem didn't exist.

"What do you mean?"

"Just because I don't care what you do doesn't mean I'm not watching you," he said. "Your little boyfriend."

Keith stiffened. "You—leave him alone! He's not involved in any of this!"

Despite being shrouded in shadow, the figure seemed to roll his eyes. "I won't hurt him, as long as _you_ stay in line. I am asking only for your sake—do you believe this will last? What will happen when he finds out?"

"He won't find out!" Keith growled. "It's none of your business! Leave him alone!"

"Your abilities won't simply go away. _I_ will always be here. Do you truly believe this man can take it all away from you? Do you really think you can be _happy?"_

Keith didn't respond and stared at the ground. _Happy._ He never thought he'd be happy. Not with this garbage situation he was in. But when he was with Shiro, he felt like maybe he _could_ be happy. Because Shiro didn't know.

Because Shiro thought Keith was a good person.

The figure leaned back and shrugged. "Something for you to think about. But back to what's important—the mission, Red Shadow. This is your warning. Don't forget."

And with that, the screen finally turned off, leaving Keith alone in his apartment.

Keith had lost his appetite. Of course. It wouldn't be his crappy life without something coming along to ruin his moment of happiness.

Keith headed into his bedroom and opened the closet, pausing at the red mask staring him in the face. He felt a sickness rising in his stomach and closed the door again, instead choosing to lie on his bed. Now that he was alone, he allowed himself to absentmindedly use his telekinesis to make various objects float, just for his amusement.

He'd been born with these powers. And with no parents to guide him, he'd found himself under the control of a powerful underground psychopath and owing him a debt. Keith has been stuck with him for years, stealing things for the sake of some big mission, and now he was one of the most feared people in the city.

It was true. Getting Shiro involved in all this would just ruin this life. And yet, he made Keith so _happy._ Nobody had ever looked at him like that, thought of him like that. Nobody thought he was a good person, not even himself. And Shiro would definitely change his mind about him if he knew the truth. The thought broke Keith's heart. But the thought of leaving Shiro broke his heart just as much.

Keith buried himself under the covers and groaned. "Fuck Red Shadow," he muttered. "Fuck Silverwing. Fuck everything."

Shiro didn't need to know. He would keep Shiro safe from this crap. He'd find a way to finish this mission so he would never have to worry about it again. Maybe it was selfish of him, but he couldn't let go of the one person who made him this happy.

One day, this would all be over. Red Shadow would die soon. That's what he thought to reassure himself as he drifted off to sleep.

\---

At first it seemed like another day at work. Keith seemed to be feeling down about something, and of course Shiro wasted no time going to check on him and giving him as much attention as he could get away with in the office. Lance was watching the whole thing with a hand on his cheek and a roll of his eyes.

Then, without warning, the power went out.

There were some surprised yells from everyone in the office. "What the hell??" cried Lance. Keith stood up in alarm and Shiro automatically put a hand on his arm.

The commotion continued until their manager Coran stepped out of his office. "Alright, everyone, calm down, it's just a little power shortage--you've all been saving your work, right?"

"Uhh."

Then the first tremor came. Everyone froze.

"...let's get outside," Coran said. "Calmly, now!"

The people in the office started slowly filing out. Shiro followed with Keith close by, but something didn't feel right. This wasn't just an earthquake. Normal earthquakes didn't randomly cut off the power before they started. There must be something more. His unease only grew as they stepped outside and spotted people coming out from other buildings, all of them chattering about the blackout and tremor.

There was a dull rumbling in the ground under his feet, and now it was growing. "Do you feel that?" He asked Keith.

Keith nodded. "It doesn't feel like a--oh _shit."_

Keith gasped at something behind Shiro, and Shiro turned to see for himself. A giant.... _thing_ was rising out of the ground a few miles away from them. It was some kind of machine, headed toward the top of a skyscraper and sending Shiro's heart dropping into his stomach.

People started screaming and running in the other direction. Shiro grit his teeth. Looks like he had a job to do. He started pushing past the running people, heading toward the machine, when Keith suddenly grabbed his hand.

"Where are you going??" Keith yelled, eyes frantic.

Shiro gulped and grabbed both of his shoulders. "I need to take care of something--you make sure you get somewhere safe, okay?" He gently pushed Keith in the direction that the crowd was going, and took off.

"Wha--? Shiro!"

"I'll be back! Stay safe!"

Reassuring himself that Keith would be in the shelters away from danger, Shiro took off to find a secret spot. He changed into his Silverwing costume quicker than any normal human could, and was immediately up in the air, yelling into his earpiece.

"Allura! Matt, Pidge! Are you there??"

_"Right here, Shiro!"_ Pidge responded. _"I'm running scans on the machine right now. It looks like some kind of expanding, climbing robot--I've never seen anything like it before!"_

"You keep scanning it for a weakness, I'll see if I can find out who's behind it." And with that, he sped forward.

\---

Meanwhile, Keith was still on the ground, running in the same direction Shiro had gone and staring up at the machine. What _was_ that? What the hell was happening? Nobody except Red Shadow had attacked this city in years.

Unless...

Keith looked up at the robot again, studying it more closely this time. As it grew upward, the shape of a giant letter Z could easily be seen on its side. Keith felt his stomach drop.

"Oh no."


	3. Crossing Paths

While Pidge was busy getting the scans done, there wasn't much Silverwing could do aside from making sure people were far away and safe, and keeping the damage minimal.

"Anything yet, Pidge?" He yelled.

_"I think I found a structural flaw,"_ Pidge replied. _"When it starts expanding again, go for the area where the metal is thinner. It should be easier to break."_

"Got it." Silverwing made his way around the machine and waited for the next expansion. He caught a view of a large man standing inside. He frowned. "There's someone inside. I think he's controlling the machine, but I can't get through to the cockpit."

_"Is it Red Shadow?"_ asked Matt.

"No, he's bigger. And there's no aura. Looks like we've got a new threat to deal with."

_"I've figured out what he's going for!"_ Allura called. _"There's a monument on top of that building. It's the cawing bird statue that was created by the first mayor of New Arus. It's absolutely priceless! Shiro, I don't think he'll stop until he has it, and that building is full of people!"_

"Then we better stop him before he gets to the top," Silverwing replied. The machine started to open up again. Silverwing dashed forward.

—

Keith had managed to create a makeshift mask to hide his identity while he ran forward. He cursed at himself under his breath. He'd been too slow in completing his mission and now that person was taking matters into his own hands. He would topple that building over without a second thought if Keith didn't get that monument to him, fast.

Now that his identity was secure, Red Shadow activated his aura and propelled himself forward. The machine had stalled for a second—it seemed that Silverwing was already there to fight it—so Red Shadow wasted no time.

The machine had already touched the building and, despite Silverwing slowing it down, it seemed that it was still moving toward its target. As Red Shadow got closer, he could hear Silverwing yelling.

"It's no use, this thing is relentless! We need to focus on getting the people out of here."

_No time,_ Red Shadow thought. But as long as Silverwing was too busy fighting the robot, he could finish his own mission undeterred.

Red Shadow made it as close as he could just as the machine began to break through the walls of the building. He stopped, braced himself against the ground, and focused all his energy on the building. It was tough on his mind, but he managed to hold the building steady, open the windows and start picking people out of the building so he could get them out of there safely.

Silverwing looked up from where he was wrestling the machine. His eyes widened at the aura. "It's Red Shadow!"

Allura cursed. _"Dammit, now there's two of them. Guess he didn't want to be upstaged."_

_"Shiro, they're fighting over control of the building,"_ Matt told him. _"You need to get that monument out of there before either of them gets it."_

"On it."

Silverwing let go of the machine and flew up to the top of the building. He grabbed the monument and tried to take it somewhere else. The machine started to lean away from the building and follow him. Silverwing stayed above it to avoid making it lean into other buildings, but he still needed to figure out what to do from here.

But it seemed that the decision was made for him. Silverwing was suddenly hit by a pulse, freezing him in place in the sky and removing the monument from his hand. His breath hitched at the red aura surrounding him. Of course. He'd forgotten about that.

Red Shadow raced up to grab the monument from the air, and Silverwing could do nothing but watch. Once he had it, Red Shadow immediately started moving again, toward...the machine?

Silverwing groaned. "They're working together."

_"I'm not surprised at all,"_ Allura grumbled.

Red Shadow made his way toward the machine, now open for him to enter. Once inside, he removed his mask and held the monument out to the huge man in the front.

"There, I got it! I finished the mission! Put your robot back in the ground and leave these people alone!"

The man, still shrouded in shadow, said nothing. Even after years of knowing him, Keith still shuddered at how he could look so terrifying despite hardly showing his face.

This was the man he was tied to. Zarkon.

Zarkon merely pointed at a container for Keith to place the monument in. He did.

Zarkon said nothing, then growled, "I warned you before. Consider this a lesson. Don't get distracted again. Your mission is far from complete. But if you haven't abandoned our agreement, I leave the rest to you."

Before Keith could say anything, Zarkon had taken the treasure, ejected himself from the machine and had disappeared underground. Without someone to control it, the machine started to wobble and collapse.

Keith's heart stopped. What was he doing?? When Zarkon said "leave the rest to you," he didn't think he'd included the part about escaping with his life!

Without pausing to put the mask on, Keith opened up the machine with his aura and tried to run outside. But he was losing focus on his panic. Something hit his head, leaving him disoriented. Everything was falling and he didn't know where he was--he tripped over himself. Was he even going to make it out?

Silverwing flew overhead and watched as the whole thing started to go down. "The machine is collapsing! Allura, is there anyone still inside?"

_"There's still three people on the fifth floor! They can't get to the stairs!"_

Silverwing acted fast, flying through the window and grabbing everyone in his arms. He placed them on the roof of another building and went back to see if he could stop the machine from falling too violently, when--wait, what was that?

There was another person on the ground near where the machine was falling, and it looked like he was struggling to get away. Silverwing sped forward to help, getting a good look at the man as he got closer and--

_"Keith?!"_ His heart probably stopped when he realized.

_"What?!"_ yelled Pidge. _"What the hell is your boyfriend doing here?!"_

"I don't know, I don't--hold on!" Silverwing tried to move faster if possible, heart pounding with every breath he took. As he dodged around the debris his mind was racing to figure out why Keith was here. _They figured out who I am, they figured out who I'm seeing. They brought him here, they put him in danger, I have to get him out of here!_

Keith was groggily starting to stand, trying to figure out where he was, when he suddenly found himself swept off the ground and high into the air. And someone was holding him. Keith's head was spinning and now he was panicking again. He started to thrash about, yelling and trying to escape.

"Hey hey, it's okay! It's okay, you're safe."

Keith stopped, finally looking around to see what was going on. He was flying...someone was carrying him away from the wreckage. Silverwing.

Keith started to panic again for a moment until he realized that he no longer had his makeshift mask. Silverwing thought he was a normal civilian. Okay. He would act like one, as long as it meant getting out of here.

"You were trapped under the machine," Silverwing was telling him. "Don't worry, I'll get you somewhere safe."

Keith nodded, trying not to dwell on the irony of the situation. This was actually kind of exhilarating, flying through the air, Silverwing carrying him like a princess is his arms...holy shit.

Keith held on tightly until Silverwing finally landed on another roof. He murmured something into his earpiece about property damage, and set Keith down. Keith's legs were still shaking, and he found himself stumbling and leaning back on Silverwing's...very broad chest. He gulped. This wasn't supposed to happen.

Silverwing just held him gently. "Are you okay?" He asked softly.

Keith didn't dare to look at his face. "Y-yeah. Uh, thanks for saving me."

"Of course."

Silverwing pulled Keith's chin up to get a better look and check for injuries, leaving Keith to stare right at his masked face. He was...familiar. So very familiar. And warm. And...close.

Keith pushed away. "Y-yeah, I'm good, uh. Thank you. I should probably get back to work, my _boyfriend_ is waiting for me."

Silverwing blinked, then for some reason seemed to light up. "Right, of course! I'll let you get back then. Take care." And with that, he flew away.

Keith tried to calm his heart down as he leaned against the railing. He slapped himself in the face, both mentally and physically, berating himself for ever having such thoughts when he was taken--and about his own _nemesis!_

\---

Days later and Shiro still hadn't gotten over it. They were supposed to be patrolling for trouble, especially now when there were two threats to deal with. But Shiro was over here smiling at the ceiling like an idiot, and Pidge thought it was a bit ridiculous.

"Shiro, I'm glad you're so happy," Pidge began. "But, don't you think we should focus?"

Shiro blinked and snapped out of his daze. "Yeah, of course, sorry, it's just...he called me his boyfriend."

"Yeah, that was _days_ ago, Shiro, and you've seen him several times since. Can we please get back to the matter at hand?"

"Hey, Shiro, speaking of Keith," Matt suddenly piped up. "Did your ever ask him how he got across town to the robot in the first place?"

Shiro's smile disappeared. "Uh, well, he doesn't really want to talk about it. He said it's all a blur."

"I'm just thinking, you know, if he's going to end up getting involved in these battles, then it might be best if you tell him the truth."

Shiro frowned. "No, I...he's not supposed to know, I'm supposed to protect him from this stuff. He's not supposed to be dating Silverwing, he's just dating Shiro."

Matt clicked his tongue. Pidge turned back to her computer. Allura ended up taking over the conversation as usual.

"It's up to you, Shiro. But you do seem pretty serious about him. Do what you think is right."

Shiro said nothing for a while. The he turned to the computer, immediately changing the subject. "So, Pidge, how's the patrol going?"

—-

Keith rubbed his head tiredly as he walked out of the office the next day. Work was already exhausting under normal circumstances, but he wasn't exactly a normal person. Worrying about what would happen with Zarkon and Silverwing put more of a mental strain on him than he could handle in a day. Especially Silverwing. He could barely stop thinking about how Silverwing had rescued him that day, and the guilt that came from it. He was so tired. He just wanted to flop down on his couch at home, let loose and telepathically do whatever he wanted with a wave of his hand.

Shiro suddenly appeared behind him, snapping Keith out of his thoughts. He wrapped his arms around Keith's waist and gave him a peck on the cheek, smiling cutely. "Hey," he greeted. "You look like a wreck."

Keith couldn't help but grin. "That's cause I am one."

Shiro chuckled and moved to his side, putting an arm around his shoulders. "I feel you. What do you say we go grab some food and relax? My treat."

Keith frowned guiltily. "Oh, uh. That sounds great, Shiro, but...I'm kinda beat. I was hoping I could just go home and relax on my couch."

Shiro looked disappointed. "Are you sure?"

Keith nodded. "Sorry."

Shiro paused for a moment, looking thoughtful, before smiling at him again. "Hey, don't worry about it. We'll have plenty of other chances." He leaned down and kissed Keith again, and Keith revelled in it for just a moment until—

_"Get a room!"_ Lance's voice screeched from somewhere across the parking lot. Hunk scolded him afterwards, but Keith was already annoyed enough to grit his teeth.

"I hate that guy."

Shiro laughed, regaining Keith's attention quickly. "Let me walk you to your car at least."

"Such a gentleman."

Shiro took Keith's hand and led him off the curb with a nonchalant shrug. "Well, yeah. Better keep an eye on you so you don't get caught up in some supervillain scheme again."

Keith frowned. "You're never going to let that go, are you?"

"No."

"I'm sorry I ever told you about it."

They made it to his car, and Keith leaned on the door, looking Shiro over again. "You don't have to be so protective of me, you know."

Shiro's smile slowly disappeared, and he shuffled his feet. "I-I know, it's just...every since you— _told me_ you had to be saved that day, I just..." he shrugged. "A guy can't help but worry, you know? I know we haven't been together for that long, but you...you mean a lot to me, Keith. It scares me to remember that you almost got hurt."

Keith blushed and looked at the ground, the guilty feeling from earlier flooding back. "Oh. Th-thanks, Shiro." He looked back up, trying to smile playfully again. "But I promise you I can take care of myself."

Shiro didn't smile back. "Yeah. You're right. Of course."

Keith hesitated, then finally opened the door of his car. "Ok, well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Wait."

Keith turned back to him. Shiro froze, as if he hadn't meant to say anything, then he bit his lip and looked away.

"Uh...never mind."

Keith frowned. "Something wrong?"

"It's just..." Shiro spoke quietly. "There's something I feel like I should tell you, but...I don't know when would be the right time."

"What...kind of thing?"

Shiro hesitated again. "Something pretty important. It...might change the way you see me."

"Did you kill someone?"

Shiro staggered back. "Wh—no, it's not like _that!"_

Keith smiled again. "Then I think I can handle it." He paused, wondering what kind of secret someone like Shiro could have. But then again, he wasn't the one to talk about keeping secrets.

He put a hand on Shiro's shoulder, trying to comfort him. "Hey, it's ok if you don't want to tell me just yet. Like you said, we'll have plenty of other chances."

Shiro gulped. "Yeah. Right."

"See you tomorrow?"

"Yeah. Bye, Keith."


	4. Heating Up

The neighborhood that Silverwing was walking through seemed normal, but it was obvious that something had happened. Wreckage everywhere, and it looked like everyone had left in a hurry. Silverwing moved slowly, remaining wary, until he arrived at the building he was looking for.

Olkari Tech, a company that Pidge and Matt never shut up about because of their pioneering in cutting-edge technology. This must be where one of their laboratories was located. But instead of the company's signature green glow, the building was currently enveloped in an all-too-familiar red aura.

Silverwing sighed. "He's inside."

 _"No doubt trying getting his hands on those precious blueprints and prototypes,"_ Pidge lamented. _"Shiro, you'd better succeed on this mission or I will never forgive you."_

"Noted," Silverwing replied. "But first I need to find a way in. Red Shadow's aura isn't easy to break through."

 _"He probably wouldn't be able to control every single entrance at once,"_ Matt spoke up. _"Try to get in through a window or something."_

Silverwing flew as silently as possible around the building's ground floor, trying to find a loose door knob. When that didn't work, he flew up toward the windows. Sure enough, he found that he could reach out to touch a window without getting caught in the aura himself--there was a lot he didn't understand about Red Shadow's powers, but that was neither here nor there. Silverwing flew a few feet back and rammed himself through the window.

Once he got inside he paused to check if he'd been spotted, but it seemed that Red Shadow was in another room.

"I'm in. What now?"

 _"The lab is down the hall and to the left from where you're standing,"_ Pidge related to him through the earpiece. _"Are you going to have more trouble opening doors?"_

Silverwing smirked as he pushed open a pair of metal doors with ease. "Looks like he didn't expect me to actually make it inside. There's no aura in here. I'll be fine for now."

Silverwing followed the directions that Pidge had given him, until he reached the lab. The clattering sounds coming from inside confirmed that this was where he was supposed to be.

"Found him. I'm going into the lab."

Silverwing easily knocked down the unprotected door to be greeted by more bright red aura. Red Shadow froze, looking shocked, various documents and machines floating around him.

Silverwing stepped into the room. "Surprised to see me?" he asked. "One of the windows had a weak aura. You know, you really shouldn't spread yourself so thin. That can't be good for your mental health."

Red Shadow snapped out of his surprise and immediately tossed a table at Silverwing with his telepathy. Silverwing dodged, getting closer to his enemy and gritting his teeth.

"I'm getting pretty tired of your antics, you know." Silverwing snapped. "Put down those machines, Red Shadow. They're not yours."

Of course, that never worked, and Silverwing got another barrage of various items tossed at him. Some he dodged, others he blocked, and he couldn't help but notice that Red Shadow seemed to be off his game today.

Silverwing looked around, suddenly suspicious. "What happened to your new partner?"

"Shut _up_ already," Red Shadow finally growled. He gathered all the stolen items in one bubble of aura, and reached the other hand out toward Silverwing.

Silverwing felt himself pushed back by an invisible force, and pinned to a wall. Red Shadow kept his focus on him as he started toward a nearby window. Silverwing cursed under his breath as he helplessly watched Red Shadow escape.

Pidge and Matt screamed in his earpiece. Allura spoke up. _"Shiro, you have to break his focus! Get him to let go of those items!"_

The aura around Silverwing broke, but that just meant that Red Shadow was further away now. He scrambled to his feet and flew out the window, following the small sphere of aura he could barely see in the distance.

"How am I supposed to catch him?" Silverwing wondered. "He'll just stop me with his power again."

 _"You'll have to take him by surprise,"_ Matt suggested.

Luckily, the power of speed was more effective than the power to mentally float one's body through the air. Silverwing caught up with Red Shadow easily and, before his enemy could react, he grabbed Red Shadow out of the air and slammed him into a nearby building.

It worked. Red Shadow's focus broke, letting the items fall to the ground. For a moment Silverwing held him there, staring down his currently disoriented nemesis. The mask covered up most of his face, but he was clearly scowling with minimal success, and...were his cheeks red? Must be the exercise.

 _"Shiro!"_ Pidge screeched, interrupting his thoughts. _"Important prototypes falling to the ground!! Save them!"_

Reluctantly, Shiro let go of Red Shadow and dove down. He wouldn't be able to catch him today, but he would have other chances.

Thinking quickly, Shiro removed the cape off his back and used it as a makeshift sack, catching the prototypes before they hit the ground. After that, he dashed away as fast as he could until he was fairly sure he was out of Red Shadow's range. He looked back tentatively, where Red Shadow was kneeling in defeat on a roof. Though he was far away, Silverwing could still make out Red Shadow's head turning to look at him.

Then Red Shadow pulled out a single prototype that had been hiding in his pocket. He flaunted it for a moment, before running and jumping off the roof.

Silverwing's jaw dropped. He'd been hiding one?? Why couldn't he ever stop Red Shadow completely? Against his better judgement, he started back toward him, but it was too late. Red Shadow had disappeared.

\---

Hours after the fight, Keith was still rubbing his shoulder from the injury he had received. His shoulder had been bandaged up, but it still hurt. His most recent battle with Silverwing was still a blur in his mind. He didn't think that Silverwing would catch him off guard like that, but in hindsight, he should have known that the noble superhero wouldn't give up.

Perhaps he had just been disoriented after knowing what it was like to be held by Silverwing as a hero, rather than being tackled down by an enemy.

Keith entered the dark room where Zarkon was currently waiting for him. Zarkon was facing away from him, watching as the machine Keith had stolen was lowered into some mysterious chamber.

"You completed your mission, Red Shadow," Zarkon began without turning around. "But I am disappointed that you only brought me one prototype."

Keith scoffed. "Well, in case you haven't noticed, I've got a superhuman on my tail at every turn. You can't blame me for that."

"Perhaps if you didn't always cause such a spectacle..."

"I use my power to steal, that's how it works," Keith interrupted. "And besides, aren't you the one who attacked the city with a giant robot?"

Zarkon made a noise that almost sounded amused. "That is true." He paused for a moment, thoughtful, then turned to Keith with a frown. "Perhaps you are right. This...Silverwing has been causing trouble for both of us. If this keeps up, he could become a major problem in the later phases of my plan."

Keith didn't move. "And...?"

Zarkon stared at him pointedly. "You need to get rid of the problem."

Keith felt the blood drain from his face. "Are you serious right now? You've seen what he can do. I'm barely able to escape with _pieces_ of my target most of the time, you expect me to defeat this guy and get rid of him?? It's impossible."

Zarkon glared at him. "Foolish boy, do you think I'm not paying attention to your actions? I saw what you did today. You pinned him down with your powers and then _left._ You are telekinetic. You can control entire buildings with your mind and make even this superhuman immobile with ease. It would be a simple task to defeat him. Permanently."

"No," Keith replied immediately. "I won't do it."

Zarkon took a step forward. "What did you say?"

Keith gulped, but stood his ground. "I won't do it," he repeated. "I'm not a killer! I'm willing to do a lot of things for you, Zarkon, but I draw the line at murder—!"

Before Keith could finish, he found himself lifted into the air, purple aura suddenly surrounding him and an invisible hand wrapping around his throat. He struggled to breathe, while Zarkon stood calmly before him.

"Perhaps you have forgotten," Zarkon warned him lowly. "That _I_ am the one you owe a life debt to. _I_ am the one who decides where you draw the line."

He dropped Keith to the ground, where he immediately began gasping for air as he groveled at Zarkon's feet.

"Eliminate Silverwing," Zarkon continued without missing a beat. "That is your next mission."

—-

Keith hobbled out of the door, grasping his injured shoulder as if that would somehow ease the rest of his pain. There were a lot of times he wished he could be out of this awful situation, but none more than right now. Kill Silverwing? How would he be able to do that??

Thankfully, Zarkon wouldn't expect a dead superhero right away. Keith still had some time left in the day, and maybe he should use it to get his mind off of this. He could use some time to relax right now.

After a moment of thinking, Keith hesitantly pulled out his phone.

—-

Shiro leaned back in his chair as their friends went over the usual debrief. Pidge and Matt were rambling away about the various stolen inventions, while Allura was giving Shiro a comforting pat on the shoulder.

"I can't believe he got away with one," Shiro muttered. "Why can't I ever beat him completely? Why can't I ever catch him?"

"Hey, don't be too hard on yourself," Allura told him. "You'll get him one day. Besides, what fun is it being a superhero without a nemesis, anyway?"

Shiro rolled his eyes, "I just wish I knew what he was taking all this stuff for, anyway."

"We'll figure it out, but not right after a fight," Allura replied. "You just go relax for now. Find something fun to do."

At that moment, Shiro's phone rang, and his face lit up when he saw the name onscreen. "It's Keith."

Allura beamed. "Perfect timing! Go spend some time with him, get your mind off Red Shadow for a bit."

Despite himself, Shiro smiled and stood up to leave. He waved to Matt and Pidge as he picked up his phone. "Hey, Keith."

_"Hey. Uh. Are you busy right now?"_

"No, I actually just finished something. You caught me at a good time. Did you want to meet up?"

 _"Yeah. I uh.."_ there was a tense pause on the other end, and Shiro finally noticed how tired his boyfriend sounded. _"I could use a distraction right now."_

Shiro frowned. "Are you okay?"

 _"I-I'm just going through some stuff,"_ Keith replied hurriedly. _"I don't really wanna talk about it. But, if it's okay, I just..needed someone to lean on."_

"Of course. I'll be right there."

—-

Shiro met Keith in front of a coffee shop and to his dismay, Keith was still obviously very upset. He was leaning against the wall, hunched over and clutching his shoulder, and barely looked up when he noticed Shiro approaching.

So of course, Shiro quickly scooped him into a comforting hug. He could feel Keith relaxing into it, which was some relief.

"You okay?" Shiro asked softly as he pulled out of the hug.

Keith shrugged with one arm, his expression still downfallen. "Not really, but I guess that did make me feel a little better."

Shiro smiled warmly and guided Keith toward the shop. "Come on. Let's go inside. I'll treat you."

The two men went inside, got their order, and sat down by a window. Keith didn't speak at all the during this, but Shiro didn't push him. He knew that sometimes company was enough. Though, he would be lying if he said he didn't want to know what was on Keith's mind—if only he could punch Keith's mental troubles away like he could punch Red Shadow.

Keith sipped his drink and stared forlornly out the window, while Shiro continued to stay quiet. He noticed Keith open his mouth as if to speak once or twice, but always closed it again like he wasn't sure what to say.

Finally, Keith spoke up. "Shiro, what do you do when you feel like you're backed into a corner with no way out?"

Shiro hesitated, taking in Keith's pleading expression. "Well..." he began slowly. "It depends on the situation. Normally I'd try to make a compromise of some sort." He paused. "I-I could probably give better advice if you told me what was going on, but—."

Keith quickly shook his hand. "I-I can't."

Now Shiro was just worried. Keith ran a hand through his hair and sighed.

"I can't get into specifics," Keith continued vaguely. "But, someone very...close to me has asked me to do something I don't want to do."

Shiro frowned. "Something like what? Something illegal?"

"Uh—n-no, of course not. It's just something I don't want to do. And I'm not exactly in a position to say no."

Shiro frowned deeper, still worried. But it was clear that Keith wouldn't be telling him any more right now, so he didn't say anything about it. Instead he tapped his fingers thoughtfully on the table. "Well...again, I would try to compromise. Maybe negotiate some way you can do this task differently, or split the work or whatever would fit the situation."

"Maybe," Keith replied. "I don't think he'd listen, though."

"Well, I know you can be very persuasive."

Keith gave him a tiny smile at last. "What about me is persuasive? My awful temper? My death glare?"

Shiro chuckled. "I was referring to your ability to communicate the things you care about in a very...honest manner."

"So you're saying I'm blunt."

"I prefer to call it honest. And concise."

Keith scoffed, but he was smiling, and that prompted Shiro to keep going.

"Ok, but in seriousness," Shiro continued. "Keith, you're clever, you're tough, and you're determined. Whatever it is you're facing, I know you'll be able to get past it. It's just who you are."

Keith looked a little taken aback. "Oh. Wow. You...really believe in me, huh?"

"Absolutely."

"Come on," Keith replied, blushing a little. "We've only been dating for a couple months, you can't know me _that_ well."

Shiro smiled. "Maybe not everything, but we've been together for a little while, and working together for even longer—of course I'd notice all these great things about you. I'm not blind."

Keith smiled into his hand. "Great things?"

"Amazing things."

"You have too much faith in me."

"I don't think so." He watched as Keith stared down at his drink, still looking a little conflicted.

Then Keith looked up again, smiling more firmly. "Thank you."

"Anytime. And, Keith—." He reached out to grasp Keith's hand, looking him directly in the eye. "I'm here for you, okay? Whenever you're ready to trust me fully and tell me what's going on, I'll be here to support you."

Keith paused, wide-eyed, and gulped. "Really?"

"Really."

Keith bit his lip. But after a moment, another grin appeared on his face. "What if it's something totally shocking like...I'm secretly an alien helping with a plot to take over the Earth?"

Shiro grinned right back. "Then I'd have to help you, of course. As long as you let me rule by your side."

Keith laughed. Shiro allowed himself a sigh of relief as he reveled in the sound.

"Anyway," Shiro said after a moment. "You said you wanted a distraction. Let's get out of here."

Keith was still grinning as he followed Shiro out of the shop. "Where are we going?"

"Anywhere. Let's go watch a movie. Let's go to the beach. Let's go to a bookstore and clear out their entire comic book section."

Keith rolled his eyes. "You _would_ suggest something like that, you nerd."

"Fine," Shiro put an arm around Keith and pulled him close. "What do _you_ want to do?"

"A walk around the block is fine."

For the next hour or so, the two of them wandered around the town, pointing out things that amused them or talking about whatever popped into their heads.

Keith was feeling so much lighter by now. Even though his problem was still very real, he'd almost forgotten about it. Being with Shiro did that to him. It was almost scary how Shiro could make him happy so easily, no matter what awful crap he was dealing with.

They paused on a small bridge overlooking a pond, where they noticed the sunset coloring the sky. Pinks and purples swirled above them, casting a beautiful glow on them and the water.

Shiro looked up at the sky, eyes wide and almost sparkling. "Look at that. It's gorgeous today."

"Mm. Yeah."

They fell into a comfortable silence, watching the sunset while still pressed side by side.

Keith bit his lip, hesitating, then spoke up shyly. "Hey, Shiro?"

"Yeah?"

"I, um. I just wanted to say...I think you're amazing too."

Shiro turned to him, surprised.

"You always know what to say to make me feel better," Keith continued. "And, well. I've never actually had anyone to lean on before. You know, emotionally. So...I'm really glad you're here. Thank you, Shiro."

Shiro was beaming, and quickly pulled Keith into a tight hug. "You don't need to thank me, Keith. I'm glad to help." He pulled away to look into Keith's eyes, putting a hand on his chin and softly sliding a thumb on his lip. "And for the record, I'm going to be telling you how great you are until you believe it."

Keith found himself resting his palms on Shiro's chest, settling into the warm, comforting embrace. This was it. This was where he belonged. Shiro holding him was so much more wonderful than some faceless superhero pulling him out of a wreckage.

"Can you say it right now?"

Shiro smiled and leaned in closer. "You're amazing, Keith Kogane. You impress me every day. You're fantastic. Spectacular. I—."

Keith cut him off with a kiss. Shiro opened up to him almost immediately, pulling him closer and kissing him deeper. They didn't even see the rest of the sunset. All they could focus on was each other. Keith let himself be swallowed up by the warmth of his lover, the waves of pleasure that came with every kiss, every touch.

"Shiro," he murmured softly. "Shiro, I..."

Shiro broke away just an inch, and Keith could see the desire in his eyes. Neither of them wanted this to end.

"Let's take this somewhere else," Shiro whispered. He took Keith's hand and pulled him off the bridge, Keith following eagerly behind him.

—-

It wasn't long after that Keith found himself pressed down on a mattress in Shiro's apartment, once again drowning in kisses and warmth. Shiro's hands wandered down Keith's body as he continued kissing him hungrily, whispering his name between kisses.

Fumbling hands eventually pulled each other's shirts off, and Shiro trailed kisses down Keith's bare neck. His mouth reached the crook where Keith's neck met his shoulder, and suddenly he paused.

"What happened here?" Shiro asked.

Keith came back down to earth after a moment, and he remembered his bandaged shoulder. Right. Silverwing did that. Keith silently cursed him for interrupting.

"Uh, it's...another bike accident, you know."

Shiro shook his head and nuzzled into Keith's neck. "You should be more careful," he murmured. "Don't want you to get hurt." He pressed a soft kiss to the injured area, and Keith smiled fondly.

"Don't worry, I can handle myself," Keith said cheekily. He pulled Shiro's face closer to his own. "Now let's see how well _you_ can handle me."

Shiro smirked and kissed him again. This time, there were no more interruptions.


	5. Reaper's Scythe

Shiro woke up the next morning aching, but elated. It was Saturday, the morning sun was shining warm and bright through his window, and best off all, Keith was right here in his arms—

—wait. Where was Keith?

Shiro finally opened his eyes, frowning at the empty bed before he spotted him. Keith was sitting on a chair across the room, already fully dressed and tying his shoes. He paused when he noticed Shiro moving, taking a moment to stare before smiling softly.

"Morning."

"Morning," Shiro yawned. He pushed himself into a sitting position, rubbing his eyes sleepily. "What are you doing? Are you going somewhere?"

Keith nodded reluctantly. "I have...an appointment to get to. Sorry."

"You were just going to leave without saying anything?"

Keith bit his lip, ashamed. "Well, I—I didn't want to wake you up."

Shiro beckoned him over and Keith obeyed, leaning down for a quick, soft kiss.

"At least eat something before you leave."

Keith smiled. "I can't, I have to go."

Shiro pouted. "Are you sure?"

"Mm. Yeah. I'm sorry. I'll see you again soon, okay?"

"Fine."

They kissed once more, lipped pressed together for several seconds before Keith finally pulled away. There was something in his eyes that Shiro couldn't quite decipher, but Keith smiled and stood up straight before he could decide.

"See you later."

Moments later, Keith was out the door, waving to him as he left.

Shiro collapsed down on the bed again, a blissful sigh escaping his lips.

—-

A while later, Shiro was out of bed and dressed comfortably, pouring himself a cup of coffee. He hummed a chipper tune and may have danced a little bit, but unfortunately, he was interrupted by the ringing of his phone.

"Hello?" Shiro answered, not bothering to check who it was.

_"Oh, uh, hi,"_ Pidge's voice replied. _"You seem awfully happy this morning."_

Shiro tried to hide his bright smile even though this was a phone call. "Uh, yeah, it's just—er, never mind. Is something going on?"

_"Oh yeah! Come downstairs. I've got something to show you!"_

Shiro sighed. That could only mean one thing. "I'll be there in a sec." He hung up and sipped some more of his coffee. No, he wouldn't let Pidge's silly antics ruin his good mood today.

Not bothering to get out of his pajamas, Shiro opened the secret compartment on the wall and went down to the hideout.

Pidge was already there (he was pretty sure she never left this place), standing proudly in front of his supersuit. It looked mostly the same, aside from the bigger gloves no doubt hiding her latest upgrade.

"I finished your laser fingers!" Pidge squealed, gesturing up at the suit triumphantly. Shiro couldn't help but chuckle. "C'mon, put on the suit! Test them out!"

"Alright, okay. Be patient with me, Pidge, I just woke up."

Shiro quickly changed into his suit, and walked back out to where Pidge had set up various makeshift targets on the wall. He rotated his wrists around and wiggled his fingers, trying to get used to the new weight on them.

Pidge turned to him excitedly. "Ok. Try these. This should be good practice before you get out on the field."

"So how do I work these?"

"It's voice-activated! Just point with one finger, or several, and say 'shoot.'"

Shiro pointed at a target across the room. "Shoot."

Shiro felt the tiny mechanism around his hand heat up, before a steady stream of white light zapped out the tip of his finger. Shiro stood stunned for a moment before adjusting his aim toward the center.

He grinned. "This is pretty cool."

Pidge nodded excitedly. "And when you want it to stop, just say so."

"Stop."

The laser stopped.

Shiro flexed his fingers some more and smiled at his hands. "Nice job, Pidge. This may actually come in handy."

"Why do you sound so surprised? _All_ my upgrades are handy. Now keep practicing while I get started on the next one."

Pidge walked into another section of the base and hopped onto her computer, leaving Shiro to mess around with his new gadget.

He felt like he was just getting the hang of it, when Pidge suddenly burst back into the room.

"Shiro! Quick! We've got a red alert!"

Shiro followed Pidge through the door, where she showed him a live news report with a familiar red aura onscreen.

Shiro groaned. "Great. Just what I need to ruin my morning."

"It's so strange though," Pidge commented. "It doesn't seem like he's doing anything. Just making things float for no reason."

"He's been mysterious before. I bet there's some priceless artifact down there he's trying to steal." Shiro tugged his mask on and turned to leave. "Call Matt and Allura. I'm going to see what's going on."

"Okay. Good luck."

—-

Silverwing arrived on the scene to find that, once again, everyone had already left the area. It was one less thing to worry about at least. Landing a short distance away from the building in question, he took a minute to figure out what was happening. As Pidge had stated, everything from cars to lampposts to trees was hovering off the ground for no apparent reason, and the aura seemed to be coming from a nondescript building in the middle of the block.

The speaker in Silverwing's ear crackled to life, and Allura's voice came through. _"Shiro. We're here. What's going on?"_

"Red Shadow again."

_"Two days in a row??"_ Matt groaned. _"That's unusual for him."_

"Then I guess we'd better figure out what he's up to." Silverwing slowly approached the building. "Allura, is there anything special about this building he's on top of?"

_"I...I don't know, I can't find anything,"_ Allura replied, more at a loss than Shiro had ever heard her. _"It seems like this is just a normal office building."_

_"I don't like this, Shiro,"_ Pidge piped up. _"It's too strange. Something's up."_

"Even so, I can't just walk away while he's terrorizing people again. Going up to the roof now."

Silverwing jumped upward and flew to the room, landing in a fighting stance. To his surprise, Red Shadow was nowhere to be seen...until he turned around and found him standing mere feet away.

Caught off guard, Silverwing jumped toward him, arm outstretched, but it was too late. Red Shadow had him frozen in place with his power. Silverwing struggled to escape his mental grasp, but to no avail.

He sighed, frustrated. "What are you trying to steal this time, Red Shadow?"

Red Shadow was silent for a moment, before reaching down toward his belt. "Nothing," he replied quietly. As Silverwing watched helplessly, he pulled out what looked like a high-tech laser gun, and pointed it at the hero's face. The machine began to charge up, and the end of it glowed red.

Silverwing's breath quickened as he realized what was happening. Not even he could survive such a close range blast from a weapon like that. He had to get free!

Silverwing once again struggled to break free while his friends screamed in his earpiece. Red Shadow was almost ready to fire, but he couldn't move. No, this couldn't be happening! He couldn't die here!

"I'm sorry," Red Shadow spoke softly. "This isn't personal."

_"Shiro!"_ Pidge's voice rang clear in his ear. _"Laser fingers!"_

"Shoot!" Silverwing cried desperately. It was only by sheer luck that he had frozen in a position that allowed him to aim at his enemy. The lasers struck Red Shadow's hand in the nick of time. Surprised, Red Shadow cried out and dropped the gun, which fired into the roof of the building, sending debris everywhere.

Needless to say, the blast shook Red Shadow's focus, and Silverwing managed to shake off the aura. He stumbled off the roof and quickly hid behind another building, his mind racing.

_"Shiro, are you okay?"_ Matt asked.

"No, I'm not okay!" Silverwing snapped. "He almost killed me!"

_"You have to get out of there, now,"_ said Allura.

Before anything else could happen, though, Red Shadow suddenly appeared again, frazzled and annoyed but still determined. Silverwing barely managed to dodge whatever was tossed at him before he escaped again, too fast for Red Shadow to catch.

But the villain continued to chase him, a clear departure from how their usual conflicts went, throwing everything he could at him. Silverwing found himself at his mental mercy more than once again, barely shaking off the pain from being slammed into buildings, getting cut with glass, and whatever else Red Shadow decided to throw his way. All of this would have killed a regular person by now, and Silverwing wasn't sure how long he could take it.

"Why won't you just _die_ already?!"

Silverwing grit his teeth and managed to move fast enough to land a punch on Red Shadow's face, sending him reeling back.

_"Shiro! Get. Out of there!!"_

While Red Shadow was distracted once more, Silverwing dashed off in the opposite direction, hoping to escape...but was once again caught in that cursed red aura.

Red Shadow, barely hurt, stood before him as he began to amass everything he could find—cards, gravel, rubble—into a giant, compact mass above Silverwing's helpless form. Before the hero could do anything more, Red Shadow brought it down, forcefully smashing Silverwing's body into the ground.

_"SHIRO!"_

—-

For a moment, Red Shadow remained where he was. He expected Silverwing to push the mass aside, pop out again like the superhuman he was....but it didn't happen.

It looked like he had completed his mission. He'd killed him.

The weight of his action suddenly dawned on him, and Red Shadow dropped to his knees, letting the mass fall apart into rubble. He could barely breathe.

So he'd done it. He'd actually gone and killed a man. He wanted to throw up.

Red Shadow's body grew sore from the fight, and for a while he contemplated not moving, until he heard sirens in the distance. He had to get out of here. Zarkon would no doubt be waiting to congratulate him. That thought didn't make him feel any better.

Heavily, Red Shadow got off the ground, and quickly hid somewhere to disrobe.

—-

_"Shi—ca—ear me??"_

_"—ease ans—!"_

Silverwing's earpiece crackled before dying completely, and the ringing in his ears was all that was left. Silverwing opened his eyes, taking a moment to register that he was, in fact, still alive.

He looked around, eyes adjusting to the darkness around him, trying to figure out what happened. It seemed that the force of Red's Shadows mass had broken through the surface of the street and, instead of crushing Silverwing to death, had instead sent him plunging into the sewers below.

Gross. But he was alive, and that was all that mattered.

Silverwing managed to pull himself out of the putrid sewage and onto the walkway. For a long time, he lay there, taking note of the different aches and pains in his body after the fight. He could hear sirens above ground as society returned to inspect the damage, which fortunately meant that Red Shadow was no longer waiting for him out there. His head was still racing. He'd fought Red Shadow plenty of times before, but this...this was worse than anything he could have expected from him. It seemed that his nemesis had sunk to a new low.

When he felt well enough, Silverwing pulled himself to his feet and climbed out of the sewer, despite his pained limbs protesting. He found himself in an alleyway near where the fight had been, and could easily see police and ambulance in the street nearby. Hopefully no innocent people had been caught in the crossfire.

Silverwing walked slowly out of the alleyway, turned a corner...and bumped into a familiar face.

"Aah!" Keith stumbled and fell backward onto the sidewalk. He stared up at Silverwing, shock written all over his expressions "Wh—you—you're—?!"

Silverwing softened. Even in his condition, he still found Keith to be a sight for sore eyes. He smiled and gently reached out a hand to help him up. "Yes, it's me. Don't worry, there's no danger here anymore."

Keith hesitated, looking around at the damage and the swathes of authorities coming into the area. Silverwing frowned as he noticed the fresh bruise on Keith's head, as the young man finally took his hand and stood up.

"What are you doing here?" Silverwing asked.

"I—." Keith's eyes darted around for a moment, as he stammered out an answer. "I was supposed to meet someone here. But then, the fight suddenly broke out and I didn't know where to hide..."

Silverwing's protective instincts flared to life. This was all Red Shadow's fault. Instinctively, he put a comforting hand on Keith's shoulder, and with his other hand he turned Keith's face to inspect the damage. Keith seemed to surprised to resist.

"It doesn't look too bad," Silverwing noted with relief. "You're definitely better off then I am." He grinned in amusement. "Don't worry. It's over now, I promise."

Keith just nodded slowly.

"There's paramedics here now, so you should get them to take care of you," Silverwing continued. "I have to go now, but please stay safe, okay?"

"O-okay..."

Reluctantly, Silverwing took his leave. He floated above the ground and darted off as fast as his aching body would let him. He looked back once more at Keith, to find the man staring back, a mix of emotions on his face.

"Look! Over there!" A woman suddenly cried. "There's Silverwing! He made it!"

The crowds turned to look at him as he flew by, waving in relief to see that their hero was still alive and kicking. Silverwing sighed. If the public knew he was still alive, then it wouldn't take long for Red Shadow to find out as well.

Silverwing waved back at the people, trying not to show how much he was hurting, and flew off to base as fast as possible.

—-

Silverwing arrived back at his hideout to find Pidge waiting by herself. He barely managed to make it through the door before she had to catch him from falling.

"Oh my god! You're alive!" Pidge's cried, hugging him tightly after she carried him to a chair. "H-how did you get here?? How did you—?"

Shiro removed his mask and waved off her questions. "Got lucky. Ground surface broke open and I fell into the sewer."

"Sewer...?" Pidge's nose wrinkled as she seemed to notice the smell for the first time. Then she shook her head. "Ah, never mind. As long as you're alive. I-I..." she gulped. "I thought we'd lost you."

Shiro smiled and patted her arm. "Hey, don't worry, Pidge. I'm a superhero, I can handle it."

At that moment, the elevator opened up again, and Matt and Allura walked in frantically. "Pidge, have you—oh my god!" Allura darted over to where Shiro was sitting and threw her arms around him, Matt following suit. "You're okay! Thank goodness! How did—? Oh, it doesn't matter, I'm just relieved you're here!"

Shiro couldn't help but smile as his friends fussed over him. It took a few minutes to reassure them, but soon Allura was tending to his wounds as he explained to them what had happened.

"I just don't understand," Shiro lamented. "Red Shadow's dome some awful things, but I've never seen him try to _kill_ anyone before. Not even me." He frowned bitterly. "I wanted to believe he at least had some semblance of a moral compass, but I guess I was wrong."

"This means you'll have to tread more carefully from now on," Matt pointed out gravely. "If Red Shadow is willing to kill you now, then you can't just burst into the scene and fight him like you used to. You've seen what he can do. You only survived this time because you were lucky."

Shiro nodded solemnly, and turned to Pidge. "Those laser fingers came in clutch. I'm going to need a lot more upgrades like that, okay?"

Pidge nodded, her lips still pressed together.

"Alright, well, the important part is that you made it out okay," Allura declared. "I'm impressed—taking a hit like that and not even having a single broken bone."

Shiro grinned. "It's the super strength."

"Right, well, even superheroes need to recover after something like that," she replied gently. "Take a rest, take a shower, and don't even _think_ about any crime fighting until you've recovered."

Shiro frowned. "But what if—."

"Ah bup bup, I said _don't_ think about it," Allura snapped. "I'll keep you here myself if I have to. _Rest."_

Shiro wanted to protest more, but it was no use. His friends were already shaken up from what had happened, and he didn't want to scare them any more. Maybe some rest would do him some good.

—-

"You failed."

Keith stared at the ground as Zarkon looked him over, annoyance and disappointment all over his ugly face.

"I did everything I could," Keith answered. "You saw me out there. How was I supposed to know he'd survive?"

Zarkon simply grunted.

"I told you, I'm not a killer," Keith continued quietly. "I can't kill someone even when I actively try. You should just stick to sending me on regular missions. I've been getting you what you need so far, haven't I?"

"The bare minimum," Zarkon grunted. "We would be able to have so much more without that Silverwing in our way."

"But you don't need it," Keith retorted. "Haven't you told me that your plan is coming along fine? There's no reason to change things. He's obviously undefeatable. The current model is fine. I'll let him think he's stopped me from stealing a huge haul, while I get away with the thing you actually need."

Zarkon scoffed, but finally waved him away. "Go home, Red Shadow. I will contact you with your next mission."

Keith turned and left without another word, relief flooding through him at last.


	6. Blurred Lines

The good thing about his failure to kill Silverwing was that Zarkon seemed too disappointed in him to ask him for any more drastic tasks. At first, Keith was worried that he'd attack the city again, but as long as Red Shadow succeeded on his normal missions as usual, Zarkon was willing to forget about the whole issue. And lately, it seemed like he was too dejected to ask for much more.

Maybe it was foolish to think this peace would last, but Keith was savoring it. These past two months, he didn't need to worry about Zarkon or Silverwing. He was just a normal person for once. All he had to worry about was what would happen in the office...and whatever Shiro was texting him about now.

_Shiro: Hey don't answer this while ur driving but do you know what kind of glue is best to repair a chair leg? I feel like I'm gonna fall off my chair one day._

_Keith: just parked. And duct tape is the best, don't bother with glue._

_Shiro: Duct tape is also obnoxiously visible. I want something discreet so that it doesn't look like my house is falling apart._

_Keith: Suit yourself but don't blame me if you fall on your ass_

_Shiro: You're not helpful at all._

Keith laughed to himself, imagining Shiro's pout as he typed away. He glanced up from his phone at the darkening sky, and figured it was time to actually get out of the car and get inside.

Phone still in hand, Keith headed into the empty parking lot, still grinning from ear to ear as he watched Shiro's texts appear onscreen. He couldn't wait to get up to his warm apartment, curl up with some good food and text his boyfriend for hours. Is this what it felt like to be normal? He liked it.

Suddenly, some clattering from his left caught his attention. Keith looked up, but saw nothing. The garage was empty. Keith frowned and pocketed his phone, continuing forward. But more noises came from behind, and Keith felt like he knew what it was about.

He sighed bitterly. "I know you're there. You don't have to hide. Just come out."

Keith turned around to where the noise was coming from, expecting to see Zarkon...but instead, an unfamiliar large man appeared from behind a parked car, smirking maniacally at him.

"Well, you caught me. I'm impressed," the man greeted deeply. "But I'm afraid you haven't stopped me."

Keith took a defensive stance. "What? Stopped you from what? Who are you??"

The man shrugged. "Oh, let's not stand around at chat in the garage. I'll introduce myself when we get somewhere more comfortable."

Something hit Keith in the head from behind, and he blacked out.

—-

When Keith woke up, he was in a cold, dimly lit room, and it didn't take long for him to realize that he was tied to a chair.

Had he been kidnapped? Seriously??

"Wakey wakey," a menacing voice called. Keith groggily looked up to see the man who'd confronted him in the garage, as well as several other various delinquent-looking individuals.

Keith groaned inwardly, but he kept a straight face. "Who are you people? What do you want from me?"

"We're the Karthulian," the big man declared proudly. "You can call me Mu. And from you? Nothing. You're just here to be bait for the big guy."

"The big guy?"

"Silverwing, duh." A girl scoffed on the other side of him. "Don't act dumb, we've all seen how soft he is on you. We saw the footage on the news."

"Are you serious?" This time, Keith didn't bother to hide his exasperation. "I don't even know him! He just helped me out like he does with any other civilian."

"Even if that were true, he'd still feel the need to come save you," Mu replied.

"Come on, we're not stupid, we all saw those goo-goo eyes," the girl insisted. She turned to Keith with a menacing grin. "You're his _boyfriend,_ aren't you?"

Keith almost burst out laughing, but managed to hold it in. "No. I have a real boyfriend, and it's not him."

"Regardless," Mu waved the argument away. "He won't let an innocent bystander get caught up in his battles, goo-goo eyes or no." He leaned on a nearby wall and continued. "We, the Karthulian, have figured out a way to neutralize Silverwing's powers, thanks to Luki here."

The girl from before smiled proudly at the mention of her name.

"When he shows up here," Mu continued. "We'll hold him down and then take him out."

"Even Red Shadow wasn't able to kill him!" Another guy shouted. "We'll take him down and rob the city bare. No one will even _remember_ Red Shadow when we're the new super villains in town!"

The gang whooped and cheered, while Keith frowned. Did they even know what they were talking about? They hadn't dealt with Silverwing firsthand like he had. There was no way they could actually beat him.

Which meant that this whole thing was just a huge waste of Keith's time.

"But first," Mu began again. He nodded toward someone else, who pulled out a video camera. "We've got a little message to send."

—-

Shiro frowned down pitifully at the broken chair in front of him, wondering if he should just take up Keith's suggestion for duct tape. Unfortunately, Keith hadn't responded to his text for several minutes, so Shiro decided to just forget about it for now and get something to eat.

He'd just finished heating up a plate of leftovers when he got a frantic message from Allura.

_Allura: GET TO BASE. NOW._

Shiro groaned, finishing the bite in his mouth and trudging over to the elevator leading to his hideout. Supervillains really had the best sense of timing in the world, didn't they? Did they just get home from work too?

Shiro made it downstairs to where his three friends were already huddled around a computer, watching something.

"What's going on?" He asked.

Allura turned to him with a frown. "You mean you don't know? Didn't you see the news?"

Shiro rubbed his head sheepishly. "I...kinda trust you guys to watch the news for me."

The Holt siblings looked up, expressions equally grave. "Someone just broadcasted a message," Matt said. "For you."

Shiro frowned and leaned toward the screen, where Pidge hit play on the video.

A large, muscular man with an odd shaped mask stood before the camera with his arms crossed. _"This is a message to the one who calls himself Silverwing,"_ he said slowly. _"We are the Karthulian, and we have something you may be interested in."_

The camera rotated to reveal a sight that made Shiro's stomach drop.

"K-Keith?"

Keith sat tied to a chair, blindfolded and stone-faced, while the man sauntered over and firmly grasped both of Keith's shoulders. Shiro's blood boiled.

_"If you want to save him, then come get him. Alone."_ He paused, then reached behind his back and, to Shiro's horror, pulled out a blade. _"And, for every hour you're late..."_

Shiro's felt his grip break into the desk beneath him as he watched the man slowly cut a line into Keith's cheek.

_"Ow!"_ Keith cried in the video. _"What the hell??"_ He struggled to get away as the blood trickled down his face, but the man held him firmly in place.

_"...we'll cut another scar into his pretty little face."_ The man finished. _"You'd better hurry."_

The video ended. Everyone in the base remained frozen for second afterward.

"That....was Keith?" Matt asked.

Shiro's hands began to shake. "H-how did they...how did they know...?" His breath quickened and he began seeing red. Not caring what damage he caused, Shiro slammed his hands down on the desk and ran to grab his suit.

_"Bastards!"_ He cried. "Pidge, find out where that video was sent from! When I get my hands on those assholes, they'll have _hell_ to pay!"

Pidge did as she was told, none of them wanting to argue with him right now. Shiro changed into his suit as quickly as he could, his heart rate quickening by the second. How did these people know?? How did they know about Keith?! How did they know about _him?!_

"I got it," Pidge called out from the other room. "I'm uploading the coordinates to your headgear now—."

Shiro barely let her finish her sentence before he rocketed out of base.

The map flashed in front of Silverwing's eyes through his mask and he flew easily toward the sky. His jaw was set, and he streamlined his body to fly as fast as he could. He tried not to panic about what could be happening to Keith right now—instead, he occupied himself by thinking of what he'd do to those punks who dared to lay a finger on his boyfriend.

Silverwing's earpiece crackled to life.

_"Shiro,"_ Allura began calmly. _"Can you hear me?"_

"Loud and clear," Shiro answered curtly. "When I get my hands on those assholes. I _swear_ I'm going to strangle every one of them."

_"Shiro, I know you're worried about Keith,"_ Allura continued patiently. _"But we need you to calm down so you can think through this logically."_

Silverwing's instinct was to be annoyed at her, but he knew she was right, "Alright, fine," he grumbled. "What's the plan?"

_"I'm running scans on the building that the signal came from,"_ Pidge piped up. _"It'll be a couple minutes. You just focus on getting there for now."_

"Copy."

Silverwing kept flying until he spotted the building in the distance, surrounded by several others, all of them looking just as run down as abandoned as the first. Silverwing grit his teeth and got ready to bust right through and save Keith, but Pidge's voice suddenly squawked in his ear again.

_"Shiro, stop! Wait! Don't go near that building!"_

Silverwing managed to halt in the air, stress building by the minute. "What? What's wrong?"

_"There's some kind of—signal emanating from in there. I haven't identified it yet but—if you get too close, it might make you unable to fight."_

_"It's a trap,"_ Matt said. _"These people somehow found a way to weaken you so they could take you out."_

"What? How is that possible?"

_"We're still analyzing it. But for now, don't get too close."_

"I have to save Keith!"

_"You will!"_ Pidge promised. _"It will only take a few minutes, Shiro. They won't hurt Keith anymore, I promise."_

Silverwing took a deep breath to steady his thoughts, and landed on a nearby roof. "Fine. Do what you need to do."

The seconds that passed were agonizing. Silverwing kept his eyes on the building where Keith was being held captive, praying that he'd be alright. "Hang on, Keith," he whispered. "I'm coming."

—-

Keith licked the blood droplets that reached his lip, more frustrated than anything. Around him, the thugs were talking and laughing and having a grand old time—they really thought they'd won.

"Mu, can I be the one to draw the next line?" Some sick girl asked. "I think an X-shaped scar would do his face some good."

"Sure," Mu laughed. "Everyone can get a turn, especially once we take that pompous hero out. Consider him your personal art project."

Keith knew he could fling all of them around like rag dolls and bring this entire building down with ease. He'd been hoping it wouldn't come to that, but you know what? He was cranky after a long day of work, and the annoying sting from the cut was enough to set him over the edge. He was ready to shut those annoying laughing punks the hell up and go back home for a nap.

The camera was turned off. This was a good a time as any.

"May I ask a question?" Keith began calmly.

Mu scoffed. "Is it an annoying question?"

"It's hypothetical," Keith replied innocently. "I'm only curious. If, let's say, you found out a mind-blowing secret, but you had no proof for it, would you tell anyone?"

Luki replied, "What the hell are you talking about?"

"I'm just saying, with you being underground criminals and all, would you risk coming out to tell people about something that you have no proof of?"

Mu scoffed. "Hell no. Don't trust anyone in this world but us. Now are you done asking stupid crap, or are you going to have to get your makeover early?"

Keith grinned widely. "Oh, no, it's alright. That answer was very satisfying. Nobody would believe you anyway."

It only took a little bit of trained focus. Keith felt a twisted satisfaction at the horrified screams that came from the thugs as he froze them all in place.

He undid the ropes around his wrists next before easily reaching up to remove the blindfold. The Karthulian were hovering above the ground, surrounded by his red aura and staring at him with eyes bugged out and jaws hanging open.

"You!" Mu choked.

Keith stood up, wiped the blood off his cheek, and shrugged nonchalantly. "Me."

—-

Silverwing watched with his own two eyes as that familiar red aura appeared from the windows.

"Red. Shadow."

_"You're joking,"_ Allura groaned.

"I should've known," Silverwing growled lowly. "It's another one of his tricks. If he hurts Keith—."

_"Just another second Shiro. I'm almost done analyzing the signal. After that I can disable it."_

"It's getting a little hard to just sit patiently, Pidge!"

_"Keith is going to be okay. Red Shadow won't hurt him too badly as long as he's still waiting for you. I'm almost done. Just hang tight."_

—-

"You are nothing but a pathetic, scrappy group of wannabes and a huge fucking waste of my time," Keith spat. "You really think you can defeat a superhero? You think you can fit in the same league as a super _villain?_ You're _nothing!"_

He slammed Mu toward one of the walls, knocking him unconscious, then did the same to whoever was blocking the door. He slipped through the door, pausing when he noticed an odd machine sitting on a table.

Keith laughed. "Is that it? That's what you plan to kill Silverwing with?" He smirked up at Luki who looked as if she was about to cry. "Maybe you're lucky that I found it first, because he would have crushed it. And you."

He reached out with his hand and focused the machine _inward,_ watching as it was crushed under the weight of his mental force. Child's play.

Luki cried out. "No! my creation!"

Keith whirled around to face his kidnappers, anger fueling him as he continued. "There's only one super villain in this city!" he snapped. "And don't you forget who it is!"

And with that, he surged forward.

—-

Pidge gasped. _"What the—the signal! It just stopped!"_

Silverwing sped forward. There was nothing stopping him now. He would save Keith and punch the living daylights out of Red Shadow for _daring_ to touch him—

_CRACK._

The sound was deafening, and the sight was enough to make Silverwing halt in his tracks. He watched in horror as the roof of the building cracked open with the force of red aura, and fell inward, into the building where Keith was.

"No," he whispered. He immediately darted forward again, heart pounding in his ears. "No, no, Keith, _please_ be okay!"

_"What was that?? What happened??"_ Pidge screeched. _"This doesn't make any sense!"_

Silverwing didn't answer as he touched down, looking around frantically for any sign of his boyfriend.

The roof had fallen in, but the rest of the building was still standing, with plenty of space for someone to avoid the avalanche if they wanted to. There was some hope, at least.

_"Shiro, take a deep breath,"_ Allura instructed shakily. _"Look around for other rooms."_

Silverwing gulped, not daring to look at the ground for fear of seeing something terrible under the debris. He nearly tripped over something, though, and looked down to see the remains of what looked like an odd machine, crushed in on itself.

_"That must be what was sending the signal,"_ Pidge observed. _"Pick that up."_

Silverwing impatiently picked up and pocketed some of the pieces. Finally looking at debris, he was relieved to find that there weren't any pools of blood dribbling out from under it. At least, none that he could see.

Entering another room, Silverwing's eyes widened when he saw the unconscious bodies littering the floor. A quick scan confirmed that Keith was not among them, but it still made his heart race. 

Silverwing blinked as his headgear flashed some information in front of his eyes. "They're alive," he noted. "Can one of you call an ambulance over here?"

_"On it,"_ Allura replied.

Silverwing then recognized the man from the video, and his blood pressure started to rise again. Without thinking, Silvering knelt down to the man and shook him. "Hey! Wake up!"

The man groaned.

"Wake up!" Silverwing growled. "What happened to your hostage? Where is he??"

The man's eyes fluttered open at last, and he looked around deliriously. "He...Red Shadow!! I..he's...Red Shadow!"

He fell unconscious again, and Silverwing impatiently placed him back on the floor. "No use, he's out of it. Keeps rambling about Red Shadow."

_"It doesn't seem like Red Shadow was one of them,"_ Pidge observed slowly. _"It seems more like he...attacked them."_

_"Why?"_ asked Matt.

"Who cares?!" Silverwing rounded another corner, frustrated, and stopped when he saw a door forced open, this one leading outside. He ran through, looking for any signs that Keith had escaped. "Hey! Is anyone out here?"

Silverwing turned toward another alleyway—and spotted him. Keith froze upon being seen, looking like he'd just been caught with his hand in a cookie jar.

Relief flooded through Silverwing at the sight. Rushing forward without a thought, he pulled Keith into his arms and held him close, shuddering a sigh. "You're okay! You're okay...thank goodness."

"U-uh..."

Matt cleared his throat in Silverwing's ear. _"Uh, Shiro. You're Silverwing right now, remember?"_

Silverwing tensed and quickly pulled away, flushing with embarrassment when he saw Keith's bewildered and unnerved stare.

"Uh—I'm sorry, I didn't—I'm just glad to see that you're okay."

"Uh. Yeah. Thanks." Keith looked uncomfortable and Silverwing wanted to slap himself in the face.

He quickly changed topics. "What happened in there? How'd you get out?? Where's Red Shadow?"

Keith looked like he was being smacked in the face with all these questions, and Silverwing remembered that he's just been through something traumatic. Right. He should slow down.

Keith stared at the ground and took a moment to formulate an answer. "Red Shadow, he, um...he ran off!"

Silverwing frowned, confused, but spoke slower this time. "So he just...showed up...attacked the building...then left?"

"Y-yeah," Keith replied with a nod. "He—I guess he didn't like being upstaged. He just yelled at them and knocked them out, broke the roof, and then he was gone."

Silverwing pinched his nose. Red Shadow had escaped him again. But there were more important things to worry about now. "What about you? Are you hurt?"

Keith quickly shook his head. "Nope. He didn't seem too concerned with me. I was able to escape easily after he left."

Silverwing relaxed finally. "Okay. That's good to hear. There's an ambulance coming here any minute, if you need any help—."

"Thank you, but I'm okay."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, just a little cut. Nothing a quick bandage won't fix." He started to inch away from Silverwing, and the superhero frowned again. "Thanks anyway, though. See you around."

He knew he shouldn't, be he couldn't help but trail behind Keith anyway. "At least let me get you home."

"No need, I, um..." Keith tried to point in his intended direction but failed miserably. "I...don't know the way home."

He paused, standing there stiffly until Shiro tentatively stepped closer. "Look, I don't want to impose on you, but I'd like to make sure you're safe."

Keith thought for a moment, eyeing him warily, before he sighed. "Okay, fine."

Silverwing smiled with relief and reached over to pick Keith up. "Thanks. This will only take a second."

Keith blinked as Silverwing swept him off his feet, just like before. "Uh—is this really necessary—whoa!!"

Silverwing took off into the air, clutching Keith close, determined to get him as far away from here as possible.

They landed at Keith's apartment building after a mostly silent flight, and Keith immediately jumped out of his arms.

"Right, okay, here we are," Keith said. "Thank you for the lift. I can take it from here."

Keith took a few steps forward, then paused again. Silverwing tensed, wondering what was wrong, and Keith turned to face him again with a frown.

"Hey," he began shortly. "You...why do you keep doing that?"

"Doing...what?"

"Being all nice to me. Being... _soft_ on me," he frowned deepened as he watched Silverwing's cheeks turn red. Crap.

Keith stared at him for another moment. "Listen. Those...thugs thought I was your boyfriend."

_"Oh dear."_

"I don't know what your deal is," Keith continued. "But I told you, I already _have_ a boyfriend. So stop being like that, okay?"

Silverwing bit his lip as he heard his friends giggling. "I'm sorry, I only wanted to help—."

"Right. Well. If I ever need help again, please be a little less...hug-y. Okay?"

"I-I apologize. I won't do anything that makes you uncomfortable."

Keith nodded, then turned to leave once more. "Thanks. Bye."

Silverwing watched him go, making sure he was safely inside the building before breathing a sigh of relief. "Mission accomplished."

_"Good,"_ Pidge replied. _"And the ambulance is dealing with that gang right now. Good job, Shiro."_

"Thanks. But I need to go check on him now. Out of costume."

_"Got it. Signing off. See you soon."_

—-

Keith collapsed onto the sofa, wanting nothing more than to fall asleep. He was still hungry, but if he took a power nap now, maybe he could work up the energy to cook some dinner and try to make this into a seemingly normal day.

But as soon as he opened his eyes, any hope of that went out the window. Zarkon's face has popped up on his TV screen, and the man seemed to almost be smirking at him.

"You've been waiting for me this whole time?"

"No," Zarkon replied. "I only called to congratulate you on your spectacular display today."

Keith wanted to snarl. "Yeah, thanks for helping me out today. You know. When I was kidnapped."

"I didn't need to. I knew you were powerful enough to take them down on your own. You're finally using your power to your full potential, Red Shadow."

Keith shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "I don't know what you're talking about. I just tossed them around a little bit and messed up their hideout. It's nothing different from what I've ever done before."

"You injured them," Zarkon pointed out. "And you enjoyed it. Admit it. It was satisfying, wasn't it?"

Keith choked. "I—it was in self defense—!"

"You always preach to me about how you would never _hurt_ anyone on your missions," Zarkon drawled. "But that's exactly what you did today. It seems your resolve isn't an strong as you think."

Keith gaped at him.

"Perhaps one day you can go back and complete your failed mission after all."

_"Shut up!"_ Keith shouted. For a moment the apartment was silent, and then Zarkon chuckled.

"You're a villain, Red Shadow." Zarkon reminded him. "Don't be surprised when you start acting like one."

The TV switched off. Keith felt queasy.

Zarkon wasn't wrong. Beating up those assholes who kidnapped him had been satisfying. As if he didn't already feel terrible about nearly murdering Silverwing, now he was starting to enjoy hurting people. He was slipping further, and that was...terrifying.

But...they'd _kidnapped_ him! They'd cut his face! Surely they deserved a little kick in the rear, right?? Not even Silverwing would blame him for that one.

Ah, crap. Now he was thinking of Silvering again. Keith sighed shook his head. It was better than debating his own morality, at least. Now seemed like as good a time as any to try and figure out what the heck was going on with him.

Was Silverwing actually attracted to him? The thought was strange. Silverwing definitely hated Red Shadow, but he certainly didn't seem to feel that way about _Keith._ And why Keith? What would a superhero want in what he believed was an average, boring guy? Maybe Keith just had some weird allure he didn't know about that made him attractive to noble muscular guys like Silverwing, and Shiro.

...huh. Now that he thought about it, Silverwing did sort of remind him of Shiro. Same righteous sense of justice and the desire to help everyone around him, even when he really didn't need to. They were even built similarly, something that Keith hated that he knew.

Maybe that's why he felt so conflicted about the superhero. His mortal enemy bore a resemblance to his lover. Keith almost laughed at he thought. How was he supposed to fight against Silverwing with _that_ in mind? It was a good thing he'd turned Silverwing away before Zarkon got any weird ideas. He wouldn't be able to handle it if he was told to use his beauty and wiles or some shit.

At that moment, Keith's forgotten phone rang, snapping him out of his thoughts. Keith pulled it out of his pocket and instantly felt better upon seeing Shiro's name.

"Hello?"

_"Keith! Oh my god, are you okay??"_

Keith smiled. "Yeah, I'm alright. I just got back to my apartment."

_"I-I know. I, uh, saw Silverwing bring you over on my way here. I'm coming up to your building right now. Can I come see you?"_

Keith blinked, then hopped off the couch. "Wh--you're _here?_ Uh, yeah, give me a second, I'll let you in."

Keith put his phone down and took a moment to bandage up his wound. Then he pushed the button on his intercom to allow Shiro through the door of the building.

Tired as he was, he wouldn't say no to a visit from Shiro, especially right now. Shiro was the only one who made him feel like maybe he wasn't a terrible person. That he was his own person worth caring about, not just a pawn to Zarkon and an enemy to Silverwing. He was just the person Keith needed at this moment.

A few minutes later, there was a knock at the front door. Keith opened it, smiling softly at his boyfriend.

Shiro was frozen for just a moment, letting Keith see just how tired and worried he'd been. He looked like he'd just gotten out of a fight.

Keith pulled him into the room, snapping him out of his daze. They hugged tightly, and Keith buried his face into Shiro's shoulder. This was a hug he was glad to accept.

\---

"...Shiro?"

"Yeah, babe?"

"Do you..." Keith paused, staring up at the ceiling, then gulped. "Do you think I'm a good person?"

Shiro turned his head to stare at him, confused. "Of course I do. Why would you ask me that?"

Keith closed his eyes, leaning back into the pillow under his head. "It's...nothing, never mind."

Shiro sat up and leaned over, studying Keith's face worriedly. "Are you okay? Is it something those criminals said to you?"

Keith didn't reply.

"Because it wasn't true," Shiro insisted, reaching out to touch Keith's face gently. "You're _amazing,_ remember? Don't forget that."

Keith felt choked up, and he reached out to hug him, pulling Shiro close and burying his face into his chest. Shiro ran a hand through Keith's hair, continually whispering to him. About how amazing he thought he was. About how much he admired him. Keith soaked up every word, desperate to believe it.

He really was the worst.  
—-  
The weekend after the kidnapping incident, Shiro was in his own home, Allura and the two Holt siblings lounged on his sofas with him. There was no superhero stuff to worry about at the moment--they were just a group of friends watching a movie together.

Unfortunately, Shiro wasn't paying much attention. His mind was elsewhere, and it didn't take long for his friends to notice.

Matt nudged him in the side. "Penny for your thoughts?"

Shiro hummed. "Keith."

"Of course."

Pidge stuffed a handful of popcorn in her mouth. "You know you haven't actually introduced him to us yet, right?"

Shiro blinked. "Uh, right. But, I was just thinking," he frowned. "I...think it's time to tell him the truth about me. I've been holding it off for too long."

Allura paused the movie and turned to face him. "What changed your mind? You were so adamant about not telling him before."

"That was to protect him!" Shiro snapped back. "But now--now there's somehow people who know that he's important to me. People who want to hurt him." Shiro gulped. "He--it would only be fair for him to know what's going on. I can't keep hiding it from him."

"I see," Allura replied thoughtfully. She studied his face further. "So, if you've decided, what's the problem?"

"I..." Shiro tensed up for a moment, then sighed. "I'm afraid of how he'll react."

"What, do you think he'd be upset?" Pidge asked incredulously. "I don't see why he would. I mean, if I had a boyfriend and he told me he was a powerful superhero, I'd be ecstatic!"

"It's not that simple, Pidge," Allura replied. She turned back to Shiro. "I understand why that would be scary for you, Shiro." She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "But what you said before is true. If he really is in danger, then he has a right to know about it."

Shiro gulped and nodded. "You're right. But then what? Shouldn't I just...break off all ties to make sure he's not in danger?"

"I think that ship's already sailed," Matt pointed out. "Besides, he's a grown adult. He can decide for himself if he wants to stay with you once he knows the truth." He paused, then broke into a grin. "And, on the bright side, if he is happy with the news, at least he won't be awkwardly turning down hugs from Silverwing anymore."

Allura and Pidge snickered in spite of themselves, but Shiro was still apprehensive. "And...if he isn't happy?"

The three of them looked at each other, then back at Shiro with resolve in their eyes. "Then we'll be right here for you."

Shiro smiled at them gratefully, then took a deep breath. "Alright. I guess that's that. I'll find Keith and tell him tomorrow."


	7. Unmasked

He caught him after work the next day.

Keith was just heading out the door when Shiro jogged up behind him to grab his hand, a strained smile on his face. "Hey," he said. "You doing anything this afternoon?"

Keith shook his head. "Just gonna go home and eat and rest."

"Alone?"

Keith looked down and shrugged. "I mean...we could go together--but not if you insist on treating me for the third time this week."

Shiro laughed. "Okay, okay. I've actually got some food at my place we can heat up if you're up for it."

"What kind of food?"

"Day-old pizza?"

"Perfect. I'll be at your place in two hours."  
\---  
A few slices of pizza and a movie later, Shiro and Keith were relaxed on Shiro's old couch, talking about whatever was on their mind. At least--Keith was. Shiro was so busy trying to keep himself calm that he ended up missing half of what Keith was saying.

Of course, this didn't go on too long without Keith noticing. "Hey, are you okay?"

No answer.

"Shiro."

"Hm?" Shiro snapped out of his thoughts. "Sorry, I...did you say something?"

Keith frowned. "Just asked if you were alright. You seem kinda lost in thought."

Shiro hesitated, then nodded. "Yeah. I was just--" he paused, trying to calm himself down. Deep down, he knew his friends were right. Keith should know the truth about him. But what if that scared him off? What if Keith decided he didn't want to be a part of this? That he didn't want to be a part of Shiro's life?

"Just what?" Keith sounded concerned now.

Shiro sighed deeply. "Remember when I said I had something to tell you? Something that might change the way you see me?"

Keith nodded slowly.

"Well, I...I think it's time to do it now. It's not...a bad thing or anything, but it's still kind of a big deal."

Keith didn't say anything, he simply waited for him to continue.

"I'm a bit afraid of how you'll react, but at the same time I feel like it's something you should know, and--"

"Hey, it's okay," Keith placed a hand over Shiro's without even thinking. "There's no rush. Whatever you need tell me, I'm not going to judge."

Shiro nodded slowly. After another moment, he stood up. "Follow me. It's better if I show you."

Keith hesitated on the couch, but stood and followed him.

Shiro headed downstairs to the basement with Keith in tow. He turned on the lights, took another deep breath, and walked toward an empty wall. He paused again, second-guessing. Then he turned back to Keith.

"J-Just keep in mind," he stammered. "I'm still me, okay? I'm still Shiro, and--I still care about you, a lot. Okay?"

Keith's unease didn't go away. "Okay."

Shiro steeled himself again, then pressed his hand against a tile in the wall. To Keith's surprise, the tile pressed inward with a blue glow, then the wall opened to reveal a secret elevator.

"What the--."

Shiro held a hand out to him. "You trust me, right?"

Keith was frozen for a moment, but still took Shiro's hand and let him pull him inside.

The...wall...closed shut behind them, and only now did Keith realize how big this place was. The elevator started going down for way longer than Keith was comfortable with. And Shiro...Shiro looked more serious than Keith had ever seen him. What kind of secret did he have, exactly?

The elevator stopped, opening up to reveal the secret underground hideout. Keith just stood there, jaw dropped, flabbergasted. Shiro had to gently push him forward to get him out of the elevator. He could feel Keith's heart pounding. His own heart was pounding too.

"Oh, Shiro, you're here!" Pidge's voice rang out across the room, making them both jump. She, Matt and Allura were currently huddled around Pidge's computer to see what Pidge was working on this time. They had their backs to the elevator. "Good news, I've made some progress analyzing the machine you picked up from the Karthulian yesterday. This thing is surprisingly _genius."_

Matt and Allura both looked up while she was speaking, noticed the newcomer and stiffened up. Matt nudged Pidge, who looked up with an open jaw, as if she'd suddenly remembered what they talked about yesterday. All of them gave Keith a diplomatic smile, while Keith himself felt like his mind was about to explode.

Shiro cleared his throat. "Hey guys. I guess this is kind of a long time coming—this is Keith." He gestured to the man. "Keith, these are...my friends, Pidge, Matt, and Allura."

"Hi Keith," Pidge said with an awkward smile. Matt waved.

"Shiro's told us so much about you," Allura added, ever the diplomat. "It's so nice to finally meet you."

"Uh-huh," was Keith's only reply.

Shiro tapped Keith's shoulder gently. "Uh--anyway, we're going this way."

Keith followed, mind basically numb at this point as he just waited to see what would happen. The other three watched them go, curious and looking like they wanted to follow, but stayed put. Shiro led Keith to the next room over, paused one more time, then slammed a switch on the wall.

The room lit up bright, different things on the wall being illuminated one by one. The last of which, appearing in a container right above Shiro's head, was a body suit of some kind. A very...very familiar suit.

Keith could feel dread sinking into his stomach with every second that passed. All he could do was stare at Shiro, wide eyed, gaping. "What--wha--"

Shiro bit his lip. "I guess I'll just come out and say it--Keith...I'm Silverwing."

It felt like someone had thrown a rock at Keith's stomach. He couldn't move.

Shiro continued. "I-I know this is...crazy, and you've probably got a lot of questions, a-and uh--yeah, this is a pretty huge bombshell but, like I said—!" He turned to Keith almost desperately. "I'm still me. I haven't changed."

Keith still said nothing. He felt dizzy. This couldn't be happening. If this was true, that would mean—!

Shiro gulped. "I wanted to keep this from you," he said softly. "To keep you safe. But you've already gotten tangled up in my battles, and--I don't know how they found you, but--you deserve to know what was going on."

"S-so," Keith finally stammered. "W-when Silverwing saved me those times, that was..."

"That was me." Shiro twiddled his fingers together. "Sorry if I was being too touchy. Force of habit, I guess."

"Oh, no," Keith stumbled backwards, away from him. He turned around and pushed his hair out of his face, obviously trying to process this information. "Oh, no no no no no..."

_That_ didn't make Shiro feel very good. "Keith, are you okay?"

Keith didn't reply. He felt like he was going to throw up. This was bad. This was _really_ bad.

Shiro cautiously came closer and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Keith...?"

All too quickly, Keith turned back around and pushed Shiro's hand away. "It's fine!" he cried, forcing as convincing of a smile as he could. "Yeah, I'm--fine, everything is fine! I mean, Silverwing, he's gotta be _someone,_ right? Actually, this—kind of explains a lot!" He laughed the most fake laugh Shiro had ever heard, before going back to panicking. "I just--uh--this is...a lot."

Shiro could feel his heart sinking. "I-I know, it is a lot. But--" he strode forward and took Keith's hands again, staring intensely at his eyes. "I'm telling you this because I love you, okay? I can protect you from anything that would want to hurt you because of me. No one will hurt you, not Red Shadow, or his new partner, not the Karthulian, or _anyone._ I promise."

"Red Shadow" sounded like a curse word the way he said it, and that didn't help the spiraling panic that Keith was currently experiencing.

Keith pulled away, again. He couldn't be here right now. He couldn't be near him right now. "I-I-I have to go," he said hurriedly. He turned and practically ran out of the room, ignoring the other pairs of eyes that were still on him.

Shiro called out to him again, and Keith felt that hand on his shoulder trying to stop him from leaving.

"Stop it!" He yelled, slapping Shiro's hand away. He only had a second to berate himself about the hurt look on Shiro's face before backing away toward the elevator. "I'm sorry, I just...I need some time to think, ok? I-I need--I have to go."

Keith turned again and ran into the elevator. Frantically, he repeatedly pressed the buttons inside until the door closed behind him.

In the hideout, everything was silent.

Allura was the first to approach Shiro. She cautiously placed a hand on his arm, in an attempt to comfort him from that horrifying display. "H-hey, that's a normal reaction to have...He'll come around, I'm sure."

Shiro gulped. "...y-yeah."

But that didn't stop the sinking feeling in his stomach.  
—-  
Keith burst into his apartment, head spinning as he finally slowed down. He hadn't even been thinking for the past few minutes, barely having the presence of mind to make it back home. He just _ran._ But now, there was nowhere left to run to. Now he actually had to face the truth.

Shiro was Silverwing.

Keith sunk to his knees, the weight of this realization sinking in, along with every implication it carried.

Shiro. Silverwing. The same person.

Oh God, it made so much _sense._ That explained why Silverwing was always so gooey with Keith as opposed to everyone else. Why he'd charged in guns blazing and had even hugged him during the Karthulian incident. It explained why Shiro always seemed to run toward the danger instead of away from it. It explained why Keith had this inexplicable attraction to both of them, dammit, they were the same person!

It explained Shiro's seething, boiling hatred for Red Shadow. He'd always thought that Shiro's anger toward his alter ego was a little more intense than the average civilian's. Now he knew why.

Because _Shiro_ was the one who always brawled against Red Shadow during every heist. _Shiro_ was the one he'd fought time and time again, to the point of injuring each other repeatedly.

_Shiro_ was the one he'd almost murdered.

A pained cry escaped from between the fingers pressed against his mouth. God, no. _No._ This couldn't be happening. This had to be a bad dream. What were the odds this would actually happen??

Keith could barely breathe between the sobs that shook his body. This was the worst possible thing that could happen to him. The one person who made him happy in as long as he could remember just happened to be his mortal enemy at the same time. Here Keith had thought that maybe one day he would be able to tell Shiro his secret, and that Shiro may actually accept it. Now that hope was gone. If Shiro—literally Silverwing—found out about Keith's secret identity now, he'd hate him. And Keith wasn't sure he'd be able to take that.

_You should break up with him,_ a tiny voice in his brain supplied. That would probably spare them both the heartbreak in the end. Keith didn't deserve Shiro anyway. Keith was a bad person, selfishly using this clueless man's kindness to feel better about his own crimes. Breaking up with Shiro now might be some sort of way to atone for that, and save Shiro the heartbreak of finding out the truth about him. It might even make it easier to fight Silverwing if Keith knew he wasn't also his boyfriend at the same time.

But the thought of breaking Shiro's heart with a breakup hurt just as much. Truly, Shiro was the only person who made Keith happy. And Keith was selfish.

Suddenly, interrupting his lamentation, Keith's TV turned on automatically. Keith nearly jumped out of his skin as he scrambled to his feet, seeing Zarkon's face staring back at him.

"What?" Keith asked, trying to sound tough despite obviously having been sobbing a second ago. "Can't you have picked any other time?"

Zarkon scowled at him. "Wipe your face, boy, and respect me when you speak," he spat. "Where were you?"

Keith sniffed. "What are you talking about?"

"You disappeared off my radar for a few minutes before you came running home," Zarkon replied. "Where were you?"

Keith hesitated for a moment. Zarkon hadn't seen him in Silverwing's hideout? Good. Keith wouldn't be able to take it if Zarkon knew about this situation.

"I—I was at my b-boyfriend's house," Keith stammered. "Your radar must have glitched out."

Zarkon seemed dissatisfied but thankfully dropped the matter. "Well, regardless. Your next mission. My plan is almost ready to execute, I just need one more piece for the puzzle."

Keith gulped. "And what is that?"

"The Eye of Taujeer."

Keith frowned at the floor. "The one hidden in the New Arus Vault."

"Exactly. A simple task for telekinetic powers as powerful as yours."

Keith cringed. Another heist meant facing off against Silverwing. Against Shiro.

"I—I don't think I should use my powers for this one."

Zarkon narrowed his eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"I-I just, I was thinking," Keith stammered, fidgeting on his feet. "You were right when you said before that I shouldn't make a spectacle and attract attention. The city hall gets a lot of media attention as is, maybe it would just be better to sneak in and out, let people not realize that it's been stolen until later."

"You mean, a regular burglary?" Zarkon scoffed. "Why bother when you can easily snatch it up unhindered?"

"Silverwing would hinder me," Keith replied, gritting his teeth. "I can take on regular police officers, but he's too strong."

Zarkon mumbled to himself thoughtfully before rolling his eyes. "I want the Eye, Red Shadow. You do it however you wish, but you'd better bring it to me."

Keith nodded dejectedly, and Zarkon flickered off of his screen.

Keith sunk down onto his sofa, burying his head in his hands. Zarkon was satisfied, but Keith's life was falling apart. He had no idea how he would face Shiro at work tomorrow.  
—-  
Keith didn't appear in the office the next day.

Shiro tried not to worry. Maybe he just got sick, or had some kind of commitment, or any reason that had nothing to do with yesterday's events. Keith had a life outside of their relationship, he kept reminding himself. He was probably worrying over nothing.

Still, he couldn't shake the feeling that Keith was avoiding him. With the way he'd reacted to learning Shiro's secret, it wouldn't be beyond the realm of logic to assume that he didn't want to see Shiro. The thought hurt, but it made sense.

Shiro wanted to call him, or text him, or something to make sure he was okay. But that probably wasn't the best idea. So he just tossed his phone aside and tried to focus on his work, or whatever his friends were talking about to keep himself occupied.

The day after was the same. No Keith.

Shiro couldn't keep his mouth shut and asked around. Eventually, he learned from Coran that Keith was working from home for a couple of days since he wasn't feeling well.

Against his better judgement, Shiro gave in and texted Keith.

_Shiro: hey, are you okay? Coran said you were sick._

_Shiro: been missing you at the office. Hope everything's alright._

_Shiro: ...I know you're still weirded out by what I told you, but please, I just want to talk._

Shiro stared at the phone for a while longer. When he received no reply, he once again tossed his phone aside.

On the third day, Shiro couldn't take it anymore.

After checking to see that nobody was around in the break room, Shiro pulled out his phone and called Allura.

A few rings later, his friend picked up and spoke quietly. _"Hello? Shiro, what's going on? I'm at work."_

"I haven't seen Keith in three days."

_"I—what?"_

"He hasn't been showing up to work and he hasn't been answering my calls and texts. Something's wrong."

_"Ok, Shiro. Deep breaths. I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation for this—."_

"Yeah, something happened to him!" Shiro snapped. "If he was just avoiding me, he'd say he needed space or something, wouldn't he?"

"Uh, Shiro?"

Shiro nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard another voice in the break room. He turned around to see Hunk, staring at him in bewilderment and concern.

_"Shiro? Hello?"_

"Shit," Shiro muttered. "Sorry, Allura, I'll call you back after work, okay?" He hung up the phone, giving Hunk an apologetic smile.

"Everything okay, dude?" Hunk asked. "You seem pretty rattled."

Shiro tried to shrug nonchalantly. "I'm fine, it's just...I'm a bit worried about Keith. He's not around and he hasn't been answering his phone."

Hunk softened. "Well...he's been sick, hasn't he? That would explain why he wouldn't be looking at a screen." He gave Shiro a sympathetic grin and shrugged. "I mean, I know when I'm sick, I get a headache from looking at anything remotely bright, you know?"

Shiro hummed, trying to feel comforted. "Maybe. I guess I just got scared, you know...he's been kidnapped by criminals more than once. Can you blame me for being worried?"

Just as Hunk was about to respond, the door to the break room jingled, and the two men turned to see...speak of the devil.

Keith hurried in from outside, frantically hoisting his laptop bag on his shoulder, before he spotted Shiro and froze like a deer in the headlights.

Shiro stood frozen as well, surprised to see him actually here. Keith looked exhausted, but at least he was okay.

"Keith, you're back!" Hunk finally piped up. "Hey, we were just talking about you!"

Keith pointedly broke eye contact with Shiro and stared at the floor. "Um. Yeah. Great." Making a point of staying far away from both, Keith walked as quickly as possible across the room and into the office.

Shiro felt like he'd been slapped in the face.

Hunk's eyes were wide, and he looked back and forth from Shiro to the door, shifting awkwardly. "Uhh...did you two have a fight?"

Shiro gulped. "Um. Sort of."

The men entered the office again. Hunk returned to his desk and Shiro stood hesitantly at the door. He wanted to talk to Keith, but it was clear that Keith didn't want to see him right now. At least he was safe, right? That should be enough.

Still, Shiro couldn't help himself from wandering over to Keith's desk, almost like he was being drawn in. He'd just turned the corner when Keith saw him coming. Hastily, he pretended that his phone was ringing and picked it up, turning away from Shiro.

The tension in the room was palpable. Shiro caught Lance staring at him before the latter quickly scrambled to look like he was working. Shiro sighed. This clearly wasn't the best time. Shiro would talk to Keith after work.

The day continued dragging on like this, with Keith finding some excuse to leave every time Shiro so much as looked at him. It was like twisting a knife in his heart, and Keith probably had no idea just how much he was affecting Shiro.

After work, Keith tried to run to his car...and that's when Shiro finally caught him by the arm.

"Keith, please," he begged. "We can't keep doing this. Please stop avoiding me."

Keith's shoulders sagged, and he looked up at Shiro for the first time that day. God, he looked awful. Exhaustion and apprehension were written all over his face, and Shiro hated that he was most likely the reason for it.

Keith gulped, and finally spoke, voice raspy. "I'm sorry. I just. I'm not sure what to say."

Shiro let go of Keith's arm and sighed deeply. "I-it's okay. I was just worried you'd been kidnapped again. I'm glad to see you're safe."

Keith just nodded. After another awkward moment, he covered his face with one of his hands. "You probably think I'm being childish."

Shiro shook his head. "No, I understand. After all, what I told you the other day was a lot to take in. I—." He grit his teeth and soldiered on. "I understand if it's a dealbreaker."

Keith stared at him, eyes wide.

Shiro closed his eyes, fists clenched. "D-do you want to break up?"

Shiro held his breath as he watched Keith stare for several agonizing seconds. Keith opened his mouth to speak several times but failed, looking like he was trying to force his words just like Shiro was.

Shiro braced himself, anticipating the painful response. If Keith was safe, he could take the heartbreak.

But to his surprise, Keith's shoulders sagged and he let out a sob. "No," Keith whimpered. "No, I don't. I-I _can't."_

Shiro was taken aback, watching dumbly as Keith furiously tried to wipe away his tears.

_"Dammit,"_ Keith choked angrily. "I don't want to break up with you, I _can't_ do it, I—I—."

"W-Whoa, hey," Shiro stammered. "It's okay, Keith..." he held out his arms, carefully pulling Keith into a hug. Keith didn't resist, instead grasping Shiro's shirt from behind and burying his face into his shoulder.

"You make me happy," Keith whimpered. "You make me _so_ happy, Shiro, I don't want to lose you."

"You won't lose me, Keith," Shiro whispered. He rubbed Keith's back comfortingly as he held him close. "It's okay. We're going to figure this out."

Keith just whimpered into his shoulder again.

"Listen, Keith, I know it's scary," Shiro murmured quietly. "My...second job gets me into a lot of trouble. Especially now that someone out there knows how important you are to me." He gulped, pulled away from Keith to look him directly in the eye. "But, if you really want to stay with me, then I assure you that I _will_ protect you. I'll never let _anything_ happen to you. I promise."

Keith's expression was conflicted, hard to decipher. He said nothing, gulped, and hugged Shiro again. Shiro held him tight and rubbed his back, comforting him as much as he could. Shiro was relieved now, and filled with a newfound determination. Keith didn't hate him, Shiro was going to keep his promise. He loved him. _God,_ he loved him.

—-

About a week later, Shiro was in his hideout, leaning on a desk as he watched Pidge meticulously work on her latest invention. He hadn't understood much of what she was saying. But he did understand that she was expanding on the Karthulian technology that Shiro had picked up.

"I've been implementing it in a bunch of different ways that can help us catch Red Shadow," Pidge said excitedly. "I've already created a headset that will keep him from breaking out of captivity, and now I'm working on something you can take with you out in the field." She held up the nearly-completed weapon up proudly. "In layman's terms, it'll send out a signal that'll mess with his head long enough to disable his powers temporarily. You'll finally be able to catch him."

Shiro couldn't help the excited grin that crossed his face, as he watched Pidge put the finishing touches on the ray gun.

"Finally," he sighed. "Once he's gone, New Arus will be safe."

"Yeah, but are you sure there isn't an element of pride involved in finally capturing your nemesis who has been eluding you for years?"

"Maybe a little. Let me know when that thing's ready."

Pidge closed a tiny panel on the weapon and held it up proudly once more. "It's ready. Shall I test it on you?"

Shiro looked horrified. "Wh—no!"

Pidge laughed. "I'm kidding. It was made for Red Shadow anyway." She stood up and carefully placed the weapon in a container near Silverwing's supersuit. "Next time he shows his ugly face, you're going to kick his ass."  
—-  
In the dark of night, it was easy for Red Shadow to quickly immobilize the normal human guards protecting the vault. But he still had to be discreet. If any of them picked up on who he was, they would surely call Silverwing. He used his powers sparingly this time, creating tiny auras only to open locks, or to knock out someone from behind. Zarkon was wrong. He wasn't going to hurt anyone. He could still get his work done without anything bad happening. He knew it.

Tiptoeing around city hall building, Red Shadow slowly made his way to the vault. With all the guards patrolling the halls, they must have figured no one would make it this far without notice. So now, Red Shadow was in the vault room alone. Perfect.

Gently closing the door behind him, Red Shadow allowed himself to go unrestricted. Clearing his mind, he focused on the several locks around the vault, surrounding them with aura. Silently aside from some clicks, they unlocked one by one. Red Shadow smirked and dropped his aura. He walked over and opened the vault door with ease.

He had to pause for a moment as he took in everything that was inside. The city kept every valuable thing they had in this vault. Any lesser criminal would have taken as much as he could hold. Any other day, Red Shadow might have done the same. But today, he just wanted to finish his mission and get out.

The Eye of Taujeer was an archeological find from three years ago which was rumored to have supernatural properties. It had been all over the news back then, but due to several incidents, had been hidden in here. And now Red Shadow was staring right at it, watching it glow yellow from behind its glass case.

Red Shadow took his time cracking it open. Last thing he wanted was to be cursed by some ancient demon because he'd held it wrong or something. All he had to do was quietly crack the glass, take the Eye and then escape the way he came...

_"The vault is open!"_ a voice suddenly called out from outside. _"I repeat, the vault is open!"_

Well, ancient demons be damned. Red Shadow shattered the glass and stuffed the Eye in his pocket, scrambling to get out of the vault.

No sooner had he gotten back into the hallway did he run into some rookie guard, who immediately pulled a gun and started shooting at him like an idiot. Red Shadow couldn't help himself. He automatically whipped up an aura that stopped the bullets in their tracks, causing the guard to fall backward in shock as his colleagues showed up just in time to see what was going on.

"It's Red Shadow!" One of them gasped.

Red Shadow turned on his heel and ran. No point in hiding now. He held the guards back with his power and dashed out of city hall as fast as he could. He could hear the shouting and scrambling behind them as his blood rushed in his ears.

Silverwing would be here any moment now.  
—-  
Being awoken in the middle of the night to stop his nemesis wasn't fun, but it came with the job. Mere minutes after receiving the alert, Silverwing was already flying over, Pidge's new invention tucked safely into his belt loop.

_"Be careful, Shiro,"_ Matt advised in his ear. _"Last time you saw Red Shadow, he almost—."_

"Almost killed me, I know. I'll be discreet. But I have Pidge's aura-stopping ray gun now, I'll be fine."

_"It won't do you much good if he freezes you in place before you can grab it,"_ Pidge pointed out. _"Just try not to do anything stupid, okay?"_

"No promises, but I'll try."

Allura spoke up next. _"I'm looking at the reports right now. Red Shadow was spotted sneaking out of the city vault, and when the guards went in to check, the Eye of Taujeer was missing."_

_"The haunted Eye of Taujeer?"_ Matt asked. _"What would he need that for?"_

_"Who knows. Anyway, the guards at city hall are being taken care of. They said that Red Shadow took off West, toward where the fire station is. No reports from there, so he probably just went past it."_

A map with a flashing path appeared in Silverwing's mask, and he nodded. "Then I'm going to have to follow him and stop him in his tracks."

He kept going, trying to spot the telltale aura that Red Shadow would use, while his friends kept chattering.

_"Red Shadow sneaking in at night like a regular burglar?"_ Matt mused. _"That's definitely not his usual style."_

_"He's been breaking his patterns a lot lately, hasn't he?"_ Allura replied. _"From what I'm reading, he didn't even use his aura except in self defense at the last second. If it wasn't for that, they probably wouldn't have even realized it was him."_

Silverwing frowned. "If he's not using his aura, how will I find him?"

_"Ask around. People will probably notice the burglar running around after this sort of alert was sent out."_

Silverwing sighed and started descending, where, despite the late hour, people had gathered in the streets to see the commotion. Many spotted him and started pointing frantically.

"Silverwing!" A kid cried out. "The bad guy went that way!"

Silverwing saluted the kid briefly before heading in that direction. As he went forward, several other people did the same. He couldn't help but smile. They wanted to help.

It was a nice feeling. Maybe today would be the day they'd all finally be done with Red Shadow.

Silverwing continued, following the direction that the people indicated. He bit his lip, still trying to figure out how to spot Red Shadow without the aura. People were pointing, but it was too chaotic and crowded to look for one guy running off with a treasure hidden in his pocket.

"Pidge," he said into his earpiece. "I can't find Red Shadow in this mess. Is there a way to maybe....track the Eye of Taujeer?"

Pidge was quiet for a moment, then she spoke. _"Oh! There might be! Remember when it was first discovered and people kept trying to steal it?"_

"Yeah."

_"The cops probably put a tracker on it in case it happened again—which it just did."_ Silverwing heard the clacking of her keyboard on the other end. _"All I have to do is hack into their system."_

"Whoa, don't hack into government property," Silverwing scolded her. "They're on our side. Just call someone and ask them to give you access."

Pidge grumbled. _"You're no fun, Shiro."_

Leaving her to her devices, Silverwing found an empty roof and touched down to rest for a moment. Once again, he was forced to wait, but it was times like these when he remembered how lucky he was to have such an intelligent team on his side. He'd be dead by now if it wasn't for Pidge's laser fingers.

Silverwing shuddered at the memory, and his jaw set. Red Shadow had always been a menace, but after what he'd been pulling lately, Silverwing couldn't wait to finally take him down. He put his hands on his hips and looked toward the horizon, where the sunrise was just starting to color the sky in pink and orange. This was _his_ city. He'd been protecting it for years, and it was time to stop letting that murderous thief destroy people's lives. Silverwing wasn't the type to say he hated people, but in this case, maybe he could make an exception—because right now, he _hated_ Red Shadow, and couldn't wait to put him behind bars.

Another map appeared in Silverwing's visor, snapping him out of his thoughts as Pidge spoke again.

_"There you go. He's still running, but it looks like a more secluded area now."_

"Got it. Thanks, Pidge." He pushed off the roof and flew in the direction indicated.

_"Don't forget to use that incapacitating ray gun I made you,"_ she reminded him.

"I won't."

Allura spoke up next, concern evident in her voice. _"Be careful, Shiro."_  
—-  
It was official. This was the absolute _worst_ way to pull off a heist, and if Red Shadow ever needed to do any stealing again, he'd do it the old fashioned way. As much as he liked Shiro, keeping him immobile for a few minutes while he escaped would be way better than whatever the hell he was doing now.

Red Shadow finally found a hiding spot, a secluded alley within an alley that contained nothing except a trash can and a skinny cat. He paused and leaned against a wall to catch his breath. The hard part was over. After this, he just had to remove his disguise and walk inconspicuously to where Zarkon would be waiting for him.

Reaching into his pocket, Red Shadow pulled out the treasure he had stolen to inspect it. Such a tiny thing, yet its eerie yellow glow was awfully unnerving. He couldn't help but shudder a little. Hopefully he'd be rid of it soon.

Red Shadow was about to put it back in his pocket...when out of nowhere, a splitting headache seemed to hit him like a truck. He immediately dropped the jewel.

Red Shadow gasped as the world around him started to spin, throwing him off balance as the headache got worse. He sunk to his knees and covered his ears, trying to make it stop but to no avail. What was happening??

Then, in his haze, he saw a familiar pair of feet touch down gently in front of him.

Silverwing. _Shiro._

_Oh no._

"Finally," Silverwing breathed, calmly stepping closer. "No more running. It's over."

Red Shadow grit his teeth and tried to stop the dizziness. He lurched forward to grab the Eye, but Silverwing beat him to the punch, glaring down at him. Red Shadow growled and reached out to activate his power...but nothing happened.

He felt his stomach drop. The headache was getting worse. His powers weren't working. Looking up, he spotted the shadow of a smirk on Silverwing's face.

"Wh-what did you do to me?"

"Relax," Silverwing replied. "It won't harm you as long as you come quietly. If you resist, I'll have to use this on you again, and I can't guarantee how that would turn out."

The dizziness was getting worse and the edges of Red Shadow's vision were fading out. Pushing himself off the ground, Red Shadow tried desperately to get away but ended up stumbling. Silverwing grabbed his arm, holding him up but only adding to the pain that Red Shadow was feeling. He knew Shiro was strong, but he'd always been so gentle with him. When he knew it was him.

Right now, Red Shadow wished _he_ was still in the dark.

Red Shadow struggled weakly against Silverwing's grip, while also trying his damndest not to pass out. It was useless, he knew, but he couldn't stop. He couldn't even imagine what would be coming after this, and he was terrified.

"Enough," Silverwing grumbled. "Stop fighting. You've lost. It's time to pay up."

Silverwing pushed him into a sitting position against the wall, and Red Shadow could barely move. His vision was just a straight tunnel in front of him now. He could just make out Silverwing kneeling down in front of him, a grin on his face.

"Been waiting for this for a long time," he murmured. "Time to see who's under the mask." He reached out toward Red Shadow's face.

"No," Red Shadow pleaded. He reached up to weakly grab his wrist, making Silverwing pause. He probably looked pathetic now, but it was too late to care. Not when his whole world was about to crash down in front of him. "Please, don't. Y-you won't like what you see."

Silverwing scoffed. "I think I can handle it."

Red Shadow squeezed his eyes closed, as Silverwing reached forward and removed his mask.


	8. Coming Clean

For a moment, all was silent. Red Shadow's eyes were squeezed tightly closed, his face exposed and bare as he waited for a reaction.

When none came, he slowly opened his eyes. Silverwing was still there, frozen. He'd stood up, evidently taken a few steps back. Even from behind his own mask, and even with Red Shadow's own hazy vision, Silverwing was clearly distraught.

"Th-this...this can't be right," Silverwing whispered, his voice wavering. Red Shadow's mask was crumpling in his grip. "This—this is some kind of trick, isn't it?!" He grit his teeth, leaning over Red Shadow menacingly and pointed a finger down at him. "Who the hell are you?! Who are you, for real?!"

Red Shadow felt like he was going to puke. Weakly, he looked up at his boyfriend, pleading. "Sh-Shiro..." he barely whispered. "I..."

Before he could say any more, Red Shadow finally succumbed to the effects of the ray gun, and passed out at Silverwing's feet.  
—-  
The painful ringing in his head was the first thing he registered. After that, it was the dim lights of the room, and the chair he was sitting in.

Keith slowly opened his eyes, groggy but feeling the earlier effects of the ray gun fade away. He blinked a few times to clear his vision, trying to figure out where he was.

He was in an unfamiliar room, dimly lit and rather empty. How had he gotten here? The last thing he remembered before waking up was being cornered by Silverwing, and—oh God.

Keith immediately snapped to attention and tried to stand up from his chair—only to find that he couldn't. In fact, he could barely move at all. His head was held mostly in place by some freakishly large metal headgear, which was buzzing into his ears and making him almost feel lightheaded again. Keith glanced downward as much as he could to see metal restraints around his wrists, and his ankles felt a similar pressure.

Attempting to use his powers to set himself free immediately proved fruitless, as it only caused the headgear to deliver an annoying shock. It was almost like the ray gun. So, that hadn't been a dream. Keith gulped, feeling his heart sink to his stomach. It wasn't a dream.

"Rise and shine," a voice suddenly called. Keith looked up and noticed for the first time that there was someone else in the room, standing just past the bars. He blinked in the dark, trying to make out who it was. The tiny feminine frame was familiar...this was one of Shiro's friends, wasn't it?

"Don't bother trying to use your aura," the girl informed him matter-of-factly. "I specifically engineered this machine to cancel it out. You're not going anywhere for a while, Red Shadow." The disdain in her voice was palpable.

"Pidge...?" Keith asked hoarsely.

Pidge scoffed. "Yeah, no. You're not on nickname basis with me anymore. I'm Katie Holt to you. And you've got a whole damn lot of explaining to do."

Keith gulped and glanced downward. Once again, his heart sank. Not only did Shiro know his true identity now, but Zarkon would find out that he was captured. And if he were to explain what was happening, he was done for.

"Wh-where's Shiro?"

Pidge glared at him through the bars. "He doesn't want to talk to you right now."

It wasn't a surprise, but it still came like a punch to the gut. "Please," Keith begged pitifully. "I need to see him. I have to talk to him."

"Why? So you can break his heart some more? Forget it!" Pidge stepped closer to the bars and sneered at him, looking surprisingly intimidating despite her small size. She unlocked the door to his cage and carried in a tray of slop, slipping it onto Keith's lap and then releasing one of his wrist restraints so he could eat.

"Here," she said disdainfully. "Eat so you can think properly. I'll be back."

With that, she turned on her heel and locked him back up before she left the room. Keith didn't move, didn't touch the food, instead letting the bowl catch his stray tears.  
—-  
Pidge took a deep breath and she stepped back into Silverwing's hideout, gently shutting the door behind her. She turned around to where Shiro was, and sure enough, he still looked like a mess.

He was slumped in a chair, most of his supersuit still on aside from the mask, head buried in his hands. It had taken a while to calm him down, and even more so for him to fully realize the awful truth. Red Shadow, his hated nemesis who had almost taken his life, was in fact Keith, his boyfriend who up until now he'd loved, so wholly and innocently, with every inch of his heart. Seeing him like this made Pidge's own heart ache, and she quickly joined Matt and Allura, who were seated next to him and rubbing his back for comfort.

"He's awake," Pidge said quietly. "He was asking for you, Shiro"

"Tell him to shove it," Allura snapped coldly. She turned back to Shiro and spoke as gently as she could. "You don't have to talk to him. We'll interrogate him for you."

"I-I just..." Shiro replied hoarsely. "I just don't understand. How? Why? I-I don't..." he took a shaky breath, as Allura wrapped an arm around him.

"Don't worry," his friend whispered kindly. "You take all the time you need. We'll take care of him for you."

Shiro nodded silently. Allura stood up and turned to the Holts with a frown. "Might as well get this overwith."

Minutes later, the three of them headed back into the room where Keith was restrained. The food Pidge had given him was on the ground, clearly knocked over, and Keith had his eyes closed, looking dejected.

Allura grimaced. "Temperamental," she muttered.

Pidge pressed a button on her remote to lock Keith's free arm back into place. Keith opened his eyes, startled, and then stared silently at them. He appeared to have already accepted his fate and was now resigned, waiting to hear what they would say.

"Alright, you've had enough time to wake up," Allura began coldly. "Now time to explain. Why have you been attacking the city? What did you do with the things you stole?"

Keith was quiet for a moment. "I don't have them."

"You sold them?"

"No. I gave them to someone."

"Who?" asked Pidge.

Keith didn't reply. Instead he looked up at them again and asked, "Where are we?"

"Excuse me?"

"Are we in that underground base? Silverwing's hideout?"

Matt frowned. "Hey, we're the ones asking the questions here, buddy."

"I can't tell you anything unless I know where we are," Keith snapped dryly.

The three of them looked at each other, and Matt gave a shrug.

"Fine, yes, we're in the hideout," Allura huffed, "Happy now?"

Keith seemed to relax a little and nodded. "Okay. I'll tell you, I'll tell you everything, but—please, let me talk to Shiro."

"No." Allura snapped. "You don't get to demand anything, least of all this. Haven't you hurt him enough already?"

Keith grit his teeth. "I know, but he needs to hear this. I may only get one chance to tell you what I know."

Allura opened her mouth to retort, but was interrupted by a new voice from behind her.

"It's okay, Allura," Shiro called as he stepped inside. He'd apparently washed up and changed his clothes, and he stepped forward with resolve, his expression stone-cold. "I want to hear this for myself."

Keith froze, surprised that he actually showed up. But after a moment he felt himself wither under Shiro's gaze, his eyes cold and full of restrained fury. Keith didn't like the feeling, but he supposed to deserved it.

Shiro's friends looks nervous. "Are you sure?" Allura asked.

Shiro nodded, eyes locked on Keith. His former boyfriend squirmed in his seat, eyes downcast, and Shiro suppressed any form of sympathy he felt. "Alright, _Keith._ Explain yourself. What is going on?"

Keith took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay. I'm not working alone. There's someone else. His name is Zarkon, and....he's the one who's been ordering me to do the things I did."

Shiro squinted through the bars. "Zarkon?"

Pidge's eyes lit up. "The giant robot with the Z on it! That was him?"

"Yes," Keith replied quietly. "That's what he does when Red Shadow takes too long to get him what he wants. He's always sending me to steal the things he needed for his plan, and when I take too long, he decides to take matters into his own hands—much more dangerously than I would ."

"Are you serious right now?" Matt snapped. "You're trying to make yourself look innocent?"

"N-no, I—." Keith stammered, then paused to steady himself again, avoiding Shiro's gaze. "It's more complicated than that. Just...let me tell you the whole story."

Everyone else turned to Shiro, who simply nodded, arms crossed over his chest.

Keith took a breath and began. "About ten years ago, I was a reckless, lonely teenager with powers I didn't understand. It got me into a lot of trouble. Then, I met Zarkon. He saved me from when my powers almost literally blew up in my face." He gulped. "He has powers similar to mine, and he started to train me. He helped me refine and strengthen my abilities, taught me to use them for anything I wanted. But that was before I knew what he was actually planning to do."

He continued, "At first, stealing was casual. It was fun, even. I could get away with taking a donut from the grocery store, I could snatch whatever new toy I wanted, and nobody could stop me. Nobody got hurt, either. But Zarkon had a bigger plan in mind. He pushed me to steal bigger and more valuable things—and to bring them all to him. When I asked him why, he just said he had a plan to make things better for both of us, but I had to cooperate."

Keith took a shaky breath. "But—I've never been the type to just sit and quietly take orders. So I investigated what he was doing and—everything I was stealing was part of a machine. Something that would amplify his abilities to let him...take what he wanted. And he wanted power. I would steal, he would build. So I thought that if I just stopped doing what he wanted, he wouldn't be able to finish, and everything would be fine. But I was wrong."

Keith paused, evidently trying to keep his emotion in check. "The first thing he did when I tried to slack off was attack a crowded jewelry store and hurt dozens of people. I tried to fight him, but he was too strong. I had to beg him to let me go back to stealing things myself so he wouldn't do something like that again. But we both knew the truth. By that point, I-I was under his control. If I resisted, he'd kill me. If I told anyone about him, he'd kill me. And when he ordered me to hurt, to control, to _kill_ —I had no choice. I had to desensitize myself to all of it, and...there were times when I tried to convince myself that it was fun again. But he just kept pushing further."

Keith's voice was wavering by now, looking away from Shiro's bewildered face. "A-all I had to keep myself sane was pretending that I was a normal person. I had an apartment, I had a job...I had you." He looked back up at Shiro with tears in his eyes. "You were always telling me how much you admired me. It made me believe that maybe I wasn't a lost cause."

"That's why you kept asking me if I thought you were a good person," Shiro finally replied, voice low. "And for advice about your vague moral dilemmas. You wanted me to make you feel better about your own crimes."

Keith wilted under Shiro's glare. "Yes, I...I guess that's one way to describe it."

"So you were acting on orders from someone else," Shiro continued. "You know that doesn't excuse everything you did, right?"

Keith nodded.

Pidge cleared her throat from behind them. "So, this Zarkon—Where is he now? What is he going to do?"

"He's almost done with his machine," Keith replied. "The Eye of Taujeer was the final piece, or at least that's what he told me." Keith shifted in his seat, uncomfortable. "Wh-where did you take it? The Eye?"

"Back to the city vault," said Matt.

"He's going to attack it," said Keith. "Once he realizes I'm gone, he's going to barrel right in and take it, with no regard for who's in his way."

"Then we'll have to be there to catch him," Shiro declared. He turned to his friends. "Call the police department and tell them to clear the area around the vault. If this Zarkon guy shows up, we'll be ready for him."

Allura nodded and quickly left.

"You can't take him," Keith protested, "He's too strong, you have no way of winning."

"Sure I do," Shiro replied nonchalantly. "I'll beat him the same way I beat you."

Keith grit his teeth and closed his eyes, defeated.

"I guess we'd better get to work on modifying the ray gun, then," Pidge piped up. "Come on, Matt."

The siblings left the room, and Shiro paused only a moment before following them.

"Shiro," Keith called out softly, making Shiro pause by the door. "I...I know I hurt you. And I don't expect you to forgive me. But...I need you to know that our relationship wasn't a lie. Everything we did, everything we _felt,_ it was real. It was all real."

Shiro turned to look at him, all anger on his face replaced with pure sadness. "I'm sorry, Keith," he replied. "I don't think I can believe that."

And then he left, shutting the door once more behind him.  
—-

The area around the vault was apparently empty, unguarded. Silverwing stood atop a building nearby, hanging onto a pole and tensely looking around for any sign of movement.

_"Are we sure this Zarkon is going to show up?"_ Matt asked cautiously. _"He might get suspicious."_

"We know he's going to go for the Eye," Silverwing replied. "We'll wait for him as long as we need to."

_"And you...trust Keith's intel?"_

Silverwing grit his teeth. "It's all we've got."

The seconds slowly ticked by as Silverwing waited. After a while, he sank into a squat to rest. He tried to stay focused on the matter at hand, but his head was racing. He'd finally managed to catch Red Shadow, but that had only given him a bunch of new problems. Who would have thought that Keith, _his_ Keith, was actually the most notorious criminal in the city. Maybe not completely by choice, but it still hurt to learn nonetheless.

After knowing what he knew about Zarkon, would he be able to forgive him? He wasn't sure yet.

But he couldn't focus on that right now, he had a bigger threat to deal with. Once Zarkon was defeated, then he would decide what to do about Keith.

So he waited for a while longer, trying to concentrate. Pidge started humming nonchalantly on the other end of his headset, and Silverwing eventually sat down on the roof. He looked up and noted that the sun had moved a considerable distance across the sky since he'd gotten here.

Silverwing sighed. "How long do you guys think this will take?"

Pidge stopped humming. _"Uh...not sure, really. You-know-who just said it would be whenever Zarkon noticed he was gone, but that's not very specific."_

_"If I recall correctly, last time it took several weeks of Red Shadow being inactive for the giant robot to appear,"_ Allura added. _"Maybe we should try this again later."_

"No, we...we can't let our guard down." Silverwing pressed his lips together and took a breath. "Ask Keith."

The other end was quiet for a moment. Then Allura grumbled, _"We're seriously going to him for advice now?"_

"That's how it is right now. Swallow your pride, Allura, it will only take a second."

Allura groaned.

_"You know, for all we know this Zarkon is just a wild goose chase,"_ Pidge said. _"I mean, I know we saw the Z robot, but that may have been more Red Shadow stuff. How do we know he's not lying?"_

Silverwing rubbed his forehead. "Can't hurt to be sure. And besides, he's trapped. What else can he do?"

_"Fine, I'll ask,"_ Allura finally replied. Silverwing went tense as he listened, wondering what Keith would say. He heard Allura entering the containment room, asking the question, and faintly, getting a reply from Keith.

_"Usually he's able to track me,"_ Keith's voice faintly came through and made Silvering choke up for a moment. _"So he knows what I'm up to. But for some reason, down here, I don't show up on his radar. It will be like I vanished completely. He'll panic and act fast. Trust me, I know him."_

_"Trust you,"_ Allura laughed. _"That's hilarious."_

Keith didn't reply.

Silverwing took a moment to steady himself. "Got it. He'll be here soon, then."

So they kept waiting. Waiting and thinking. Silverwing stared up at the sky as he spaced out. If Keith was telling the truth, if he was cooperating with them, what would happen to him when it was all over? Would he still have to pay for his crimes, even if he was just doing them to survive? Did that count?

More importantly, should he have done more to help Keith when he'd hinted that something was going on? Maybe if he'd been a better boyfriend, Keith wouldn't have stepped off the deep end and resorted to attempted murder.

It didn't matter. It was over now. But he still couldn't believe it. He'd loved Keith with all his heart and now...this. To say that it hurt would be an understatement.

The sky was starting to get dark when a distant rumbling snapped Silverwing out of his reverie. He sat up, alert, then got to his feet.

The rumbling was low, constant, a vibration under his feet. All of a sudden, lights around the area started going out, and he heard yelps of surprise from down below. Gradually, the rumbling grew louder, stronger, making the ground below tremor.

_"Uhhhh, Shiro?"_ Pidge piped up.

Silverwing frowned. "Just like last time." He steeled himself, ready to jump off the roof, as the ground near City Hall began to crack open and a machine started to peek out.

Silverwing automatically started floating upward as he watched the robot rise up out the ground. He grit his teeth at the sight of the familiar Z on the side, and he heard the security that had gathered below begin to shout.

Allura gasped in his ear. _"There it is...he was right."_

"Time to get to work," Silverwing replied. The machine had set itself above the ground and was currently expanding toward City Hall. Silverwing took off, gripping the ray gun from his belt, and landed in front of the machine's base.

Carefully, he felt around to find an opening. As the machine expanded again, Silverwing spotted a growing crevice within the machine's hull and slipped inside. He was now in a dark room, and he gripped the ray gun in front of him tightly. An eerie purple glow was coming from somewhere above, and Silverwing cautiously flew up to follow it.

When he got to the top, Silverwing froze when he realized he was in some kind of control room. He could easily see where the robot was going next on the large monitor in the front....and in front of that was a large, hulking man with an enormous silhouette. Silverwing gulped slightly. The man had his back turned to him, but it seemed that he'd already noticed he wasn't alone.

"Silverwing," the man drawled, without turning around. His voice was impossibly deep, slow, more menacing than Silverwing was comfortable with.

"The noble superhero," the man continued. "To what do I know the great honor of your presence?"

"Zarkon," Silverwing growled. "I'm here to put a stop to your plans. Red Shadow's told me everything that you've been planning."

Zarkon hummed, seemingly unfazed. "Red Shadow is a weakling," he replied. "I had a feeling he would be caught eventually—and that he'd squeal as soon as he was." He finally turned around, his cold eyes seeming to look right through Silverwing, and his crooked smile making him shudder. "No matter. I will be rid of both of you soon enough. There's nothing you can do about it."

Silverwing gripped the ray gun, as Pidge spoke softly to him. _"Shiro, get him to use his powers. I need to analyze his aura so I can modify your ray gun remotely to take him out."_

Silverwing kept his gaze locked on his enemy. "I wouldn't be so sure if I were you," he told Zarkon. "I was able to take down Red Shadow multiple times. I don't plan to lose to his old, decrepit hermit friend."

Zarkon looked mildly annoyed, but otherwise didn't move. "You can insult me all you want, Silverwing, but that doesn't change the fact that you are severely outmatched. You should run before you annoy me too much." Finally, he lifted his arm and the slightest purple aura started dancing around his fingers.

Silverwing grinned. "Sorry. I'm afraid I'm going to have to impose on you for a little bit longer." With that, he charged forward, winding up for a punch.

Zarkon flicked his wrist and flung Silverwing away with a purple aura. Silverwing slammed into a wall, wincing in pain but landing on his feet.

"Final warning," Zarkon warned lowly.

_"I got it,"_ Pidge said. _"Keep him talking while I calibrate."_

"Fine, let's not fight," Silverwing said slowly. "Tell me what's going on. Why did you send Red Shadow to steal for you? What are you planning?"

Zarkon narrowed his eyes, suspicious. "I figured that wimp would have told you everything already."

"Bits and pieces. I hear you want to take over the city? Why?"

He scoffed. "The question is, why aren't _you_ trying to take over the city? You have powers beyond what a normal human could possess. You could take anything you want from them, but instead you choose to _help."_

Silverwing frowned. "And that's a bad thing...how?"

"Because people are ungrateful, Silverwing," Zarkon deadpanned. "Very soon, they start taking you for granted. I'd be surprised if your citizens haven't done that with you already. You'll be called to serve them over and over and over, with nothing in return but more expectations and demands." Slowly, he turned back to the monitor and gazed out at the roof of the city hall, where the machine was starting to drill into it. "Why bother with that when you can force them to listen to you instead? Then they'd have to be grateful for whatever you can be bothered to give them."

"Because it's not about the glory or the power," Silverwing replied firmly. "It's about keeping people safe. Maybe some people don't realize or even properly appreciate the protection they have...but that doesn't mean they shouldn't have it."

Zarkon hummed softly. "Then it seems that you and I are too different to understand one another. A pity. I could have used someone with your power on my side when I've taken over."

_"Recalibration complete. Whenever you're ready, Shiro."_

Zarkon continued, still not looking at him. "In that case, I will just go back to my original plan. Red Shadow may have failed me, but that's not much of a hindrance. Neither are you, Silverwing. Try as much as you want, but you won't be able to stop me."

Silverwing whipped out the ray gun. "Don't be so sure." Before Zarkon could turn around, Silverwing fired, sending the pulsing signal straight at Zarkon's head.

Zarkon cried out and grasped his skull, tottering slightly until he sank to his knees. The machine momentarily stopped what it was doing. Silverwing's friends whooped in his ear, and Silverwing grinned. It was almost too easy.

Zarkon groaned, and Silverwing sauntered over. Like Red Shadow before him, he attempted to use his aura in retaliation, but found that he couldn't. Silverwing smiled at him triumphantly.

"Looks like you were too reliant on your power," he told him. "Guess you're not so scary without i—."

Zarkon grabbed Silverwing's leg and slammed him to the ground. Silverwing gasped in shock, the ray gun flying out of his hand and skittering across the floor.

Zarkon, still holding his head, picked up the gun and inspected it with an amused grin. "Ah. So you've found a way to cancel out my aura. How clever of you, Silverwing, I never would have expected you to figure this out."

Then, as Silverwing watched, Zarkon took the machine and crushed it with his bare hands. Silverwing went pale. Zarkon didn't even look that pained anymore, and now he was walking back toward him.

"Pidge, why didn't he pass out??" Silverwing whispered harshly.

_"I...I don't know..."_ Pidge replied, terrified.

Silverwing got to his feet and got into a fighting stance as Zarkon loomed over him.

"It was a good attempt," Zarkon drawled. "But sadly for you, I can still fight without my aura." With that, he wound up a punch and sent his huge fist downward. Silverwing barely managed to dodge in time before slamming into Zarkon. Zarkon reeled backward but quickly regained his footing.

They went back and forth like this, trading hits, even using laser fingers, but it was clear that Silverwing was barely putting a scratch on him—at least, definitely not more than the scratches he was getting himself. Zarkon had to have more powers than just his aura. If Silverwing's super strength and speed were barely a match for him, then how could he possibly be normal?!

Zarkon grabbed Silverwing by the cape and slammed him to the ground again. Silverwing tasted blood and the world was spinning, but he managed to roll away before Zarkon could pin him. This was no use. He had to retreat. He'd come back once he had a better plan.

Silverwing turned and tried to fly out the way he came....only to be stopped in his tracks by an all too familiar feeling. Aura.

Zarkon turned him around, holding him in the air with his purple powers, fully recovered. He smiled wickedly. "It appears I'm back to my full strength. Which means it's over for you." He moved Shiro to a neutral position, arms and legs hanging straight down like a rag doll, except stiff and unable to move.

"I warned you, Silverwing," Zarkon growled. "You've annoyed me too much. I would have wanted you to see my takeover of the city, but I guess watching the citizens realize that their hero is dead is just as satisfying."

Zarkon squeezed his hand in the air, and Shiro felt the breath slowly leave his lungs. He started to panic, but he couldn't move. The pressure around his bones was building, threatening to crack everyone of them, and there was nothing he could do about it. He was helpless, at Zarkon's mercy. The problem was that it seemed Zarkon's mercy had run out.

_"Shiro! Fuck, not again! Do something! Say 'shoot!'"_

He couldn't. He couldn't move his mouth. He couldn't breathe.

_"No, no no no!"_ He could hear his friends panicking, rushing about, trying to figure out what to do. But with a sinking heart he started to think that none of it would matter. No matter how he struggled, it was useless. His vision was starting to fade, and the last thing he would see would be Zarkon's maniacal smile.

_No...not like this...._  
—-  
They were yelling. Screaming Shiro's name. Panicking. Keith could hear them from his cell.

He thought he'd already resigned to this fate. He was going to die and lose everyone he loved. But now, hearing Shiro's friends desperately try to save him, Keith's heart rate began to pick back up. Zarkon was going to kill Shiro. Shiro was probably dying right _now!_

Against his better judgement, he struggled. He struggled and he panicked, the shouts from the other room seeming to egg him on. That was always his problem, struggling when there was no use in doing so. But at the moment, he wasn't thinking.

Because of him, Shiro was struggling, dying. Shiro, the person who wanted nothing but to help and protect, even at the risk of his own safety. Shiro, who was leagues greater than Keith in every way but had still given him the time of day. Shiro who actually _meant_ something to him, who Zarkon was about to take away just like everything else.

"Shiro," Keith whispered, as he continued to thrash against the restraints, the machine on his head.

"Shiro!" The pressure was mounting. The emotion. The _rage._

_"Shiroooooo!"_

_Boom._  
—-  
And just as everything was going black, the world lurched.

The machine was wobbling back and forth, seeming to distract Zarkon long enough for Silverwing to take a much needed breath. The sights and sounds around him swiftly returned to his consciousness. He was still immobile, but Zarkon's focus had shifted to some commotion outside.

Shouts faded into his ear, but he couldn't make out what was being said. Instead, he focused on the world coming back around him, and the first thing that caught his eye was....glass?

Sure enough, it looked like the glass on the monitor had been shattered, and Zarkon was currently attempting to steal the Eye without the help of his monitor. A claw reached into the building and withdrew the diamond, and Zarkon used his aura to steady the machine....which provided Silverwing with the window he needed to escape. Silverwing quickly flew out the way he came and escaped through a hole in the machine.

As he flew further, he spotted what looked like another machine coming out of the ground, aiming the gun mounted on top toward Zarkon's robot. With its mission apparently complete, it started to sink back into the ground. Zarkon's machine did the same, and Silverwing's heart sank again. Zarkon had gotten the diamond. He'd failed. Now who knew what he was going to do.

Silverwing winced as he became aware of his pain again, and quickly started heading home. The sudden absence of his friends' voices in his earpiece was not comforting. Silverwing just focused on getting back to base.

—-

When he entered his secret hideout, bruised and beaten, he ran into yet another sight that made his blood run cold.

Matt and Allura were floating in the air, surrounded by red aura, yelling and screaming but held in place.

"What the hell?!" Silverwing cried.

Allura and Matt moved their heads as much as they could to look at him. "Shiro!" Allura cried in relief. "You're alive!"

"What's going on?!"

"Red Shadow broke free!" Matt yelled in response. "He's forcing Pidge to do something on the computer!"

Silverwing grit his teeth, ran past the containment room with the broken restraints, and turned to freeze once again at an awful sight.

Keith was there, standing over Pidge and the computer like a hawk. His red aura was everywhere as the younger girl typed quickly away on the computer, most likely against her will.

It still hurt. More than almost dying. But he did what he had to do.

"Red Shadow, stop!"

Keith whirled around, aura going crazy, but his eyes widened. "Shiro!" As if it has never happened, the aura disappeared, leaving Keith looking normal again as the others dropped to the floor behind Silverwing. "Y-you're okay...."

"No thanks to you!" He grabbed Keith by the collar and pulled him to the ground, snarling. "What were you doing to her?"

Keith seemed to panic and looked up at him pleadingly, trying to pry Silverwing's fingers off his shirt. "Wait, Shiro, please..."

"Stop," Pidge suddenly called. She didn't look away from the computer screen. "Leave him alone, Shiro."

Silverwing looked up, confused, and blinked when he noticed what was on the screen. The machine that had shot at Zarkon was displayed on screen, Pidge having hacked into its controls. 

"He showed me the directory," Pidge informed them as the others ran over. "He told me to hack into Zarkon's weapons."

She turned, letting Shiro see the shocked sincerity in her eyes. "Shiro, he saved you."

Silverwing stared back, stunned, as he grip on Keith slackened. He looked down at Keith, who was still on the floor, resigned once more. "You...saved my life?"

Keith nodded slowly. Silverwing felt something then, almost akin to the joy he felt when he and Keith were still innocently dating. Did Keith... _actually_ care for him?

"Are you kidding?!" Matt snapped, bringing Silverwing back to reality. "You wanted to save him, so you attack us with your powers? Why didn't you just say something?!"

"You never would have believed me!" Keith shouted back. "And then Shiro would have _died!"_

There was a silence hanging in the room for a moment, then Keith turned back to Shiro. His big, pleading eyes seemed to stare right into his soul. Keith remained on his knees, begging.

"Shiro, listen, I...I know I hurt you. I understand why you don't trust me. But please believe me when I say I want to atone for what I've done. I want to help you beat Zarkon."

Silverwing gulped. "Why the sudden change of heart?"

Keith let out a sound that almost seemed like a sob. "Because I couldn't handle watching what he was doing to you!" he cried. "And I couldn't take the guilt. He's going to take over the city, he's going to hurt _so_ many people, and it will be partially my fault." He gulped. "I...I was doing everything for him, because I had no choice. You saw for yourself how strong he was."

Silverwing winced again. "You were right. He's too powerful."

Keith nodded. "But I don't have that excuse anymore. He's going to kill me either way. If I'm going to die, I want to at least spend my last moments doing something right." He looked a bewildered Shiro in the eye again. "Zarkon may be able to take me and you on one at a time, but what about both of us together? Maybe if we put out powers together, we might have a chance."

Allura frowned. "And how do we know this isn't another trick?"

"You're just gonna have to trust me." Keith bit his lip. "And I realize that's a lot to ask." He looked at Shiro again, and Shiro stared at the floor, considering.

"Shiro..." he pleaded. "I know I can't ask you to let me back into your heart. But please, let me _help_ you. Let me make up for my mistakes."

Everyone was quiet, waiting for Shiro's response. It made absolutely no sense, but Shiro looked at Keith's eyes again and...that pleading expression was too much for him. Against all logic, he felt that maybe Keith was being sincere.

So Shiro took a deep breath....and reached his hand out to Keith. "Alright. You're in."

His friends all looked shocked. "Shiro, are you sure about this?" Allura asked again.

Shiro didn't take his eyes off of Keith as he took his hand and stood up, looking equally shocked. "I think..." said Shiro. "...he deserves a second chance."

Keith sniffed and smiled gratefully. "Thank you."

Shiro squeezed his hand. "Don't let me down."

Keith nodded, and took a step back. After a moment, he turned to the others, determined.

"I need a mask."


	9. Showdown

Silverwing remained as quiet as he could while nearing Zarkon's hideout at last. It was harder than expected, considering that this place was dark and so eerily quiet that even his breathing felt too loud.

Beside him, Red Shadow floated along, looking equally on edge. He paused in front of the nondescript building and pressed his palm against a wall. A soft beeping sound was heard, and then a heavy door opened up. Both of them floated through, and Silverwing tried not to dwell too much on how weird this was.

"Pidge," Silverwing whispered. "How's it going with hacking into Zarkon's weapons?"

_"I'm working on it,"_ Pidge responded. _"It's a bit tedious. I have to hack every machine individually because Zarkon apparently doesn't understand the concept of a network."_

"That's on purpose," said Red Shadow.

"It's a failsafe either way," Silverwing replied. "Hopefully we can get in and out without having to face Zarkon at all."

Red Shadow silently floated along as he made his way through the hideout, Silverwing trailing closely behind. Still weird. He and Red Shadow were working together. Also Red Shadow was actually Keith. And Keith was a bad person, but also, not really? Weird.

Red Shadow carefully paused in front of a control panel and checked around about three times before he started typing into it. "Cover me."

Silverwing kept watch as Red Shadow unlocked the room before them. After checking one more time, they both stepped inside.

"There it is," Red Shadow whispered. Silverwing looked up, and the huge machine above him filled his field of vision. He could see everything that Red Shadow had stolen in the past months, from the Olkari tech to the Eye, all jumbled together into something that was now pulsating with energy.

"This is his machine?" He asked.

"Yeah," Red Shadow grit his teeth. "He's finished it. He'll probably be here to start his takeover any minute now."

"Then we need to break it right now."

Red Shadow nodded, and turned to Silverwing. "Zarkon designed it to resist my powers. At least, on the outside. If you use your strength to force to hull open, I can take it apart from the inside."

Silverwing nodded and flew up to the machine while Red Shadow kept watch.

_"For the record,"_ Allura piped up in their earpieces. _"I still think that trusting Red Shadow is a bad idea."_

"I can hear you," Red Shadow muttered.

_"I said what I said."_

Silverwing ignored their banter and tried to find a crack in the machine. He noticed the spot where two panels came together and bent down to it. Summoning his strength, he sunk his fingers into the metal and began to pull. Slowly, it started to give. The metal cracked more loudly than he was comfortable with, but he kept at it. As the hole grew bigger, the machine's pulsing grew weaker.

Red Shadow floated up to meet him with a smile on his face. "Nice," he told him. The two of them looked inside the hole, where the machine's insides could easily be seen, a complicated mess of tech that Silverwing couldn't begin to understand.

"That looks intimidating," Silverwing remarked.

"I can handle it," Red Shadow replied. "It's like a giant puzzle." Immediately, the familiar red aura appeared and Red Shadow fixed his concentration on the mess of parts below.

_"Why not just smash it altogether?"_ asked Matt.

"We're trying to _not_ attract Zarkon's attention," replied Silverwing.

Behind him, Red Shadow was working meticulously on the parts, weaving them in and out of each other with his aura. This was it. He'd leave Zarkon's machine in pieces, and then reveal this location to the whole city so he wouldn't hurt anyone again. Red Shadow had never been the type to plot revenge, but in this case it felt warranted. Zarkon would probably kill him for it, but at least his awful plan would be thwarted. If Red Shadow was going to go out, it would be with a bang.

He was just getting to what he believed was a central panel...when he noticed a part he'd moved slowly slide back into place. Red Shadow paused, and frowned. Nothing happened for a moment, but then another part did the same. And he could just make out the faintest purple aura surrounding it.

Red Shadow gasped and was about to alert his partner, when suddenly the large panel they'd opened slammed shut, right on his arm.

"Gaaah!" He cried.

Silverwing was by his side in an instant. "What happened?" He quickly noticed the panel and pulled it up again for Red Shadow to remove his arm.

Red Shadow winced and rubbed his arm in pain. "Z-Zarkon is here—!"

As if on cue, a large light switched on in front of them. Zarkon sat on a chair, nonchalantly looking them over.

"And here I thought your treachery couldn't get any worse, Red Shadow," the large man scowled. "After everything I did for you."

Red Shadow growled, and Silverwing stood his ground. "Zarkon."

Zarkon ignored him, his attention focused only on Red Shadow. "Is this what it's come to? Teaming up with our enemy? After I saved you, took you in and trained you, you go and betray me."

"Shut up, Zarkon," Red Shadow hissed. "You ruined my life. You forced me to steal for you, and hurt for you, and threatened me day after day. I'm done being your minion! I don't owe you a damn thing anymore!"

Immediately, purple aura surrounded Red Shadow as he was tossed backward and slammed into the wall.

"Keith!" Silverwing tried to fly over, but was quickly immobilized himself.

Zarkon paid him no mind as he advanced on Red Shadow once more. "I'm the reason you're even still alive," he told him lowly. "It seems you have forgotten that. So let me remind you what I warned you about when we first met."

Silverwing watched in horror as Zarkon lifted Red Shadow into the air, like a rag doll, squeezing the air out of his lungs in a way that was all too familiar.

"Keith—." He gasped, then paused at the fact that his mouth could still move. He looked down at his own pose and noticed his arm was still outstretched from when he tried to fly. But it was pointing in the wrong direction. If he could just move it a few inches to the right...

Time was ticking. Red Shadow's breath was running out. Silverwing summoned his strength, fighting against Zarkon's concentration. Grunting with frustration and mustering up all the super strength he could, he _pushed._

His arm suddenly snapped in the direction he wanted, and not a second too soon. _"Shoot!"_

The white laser from his finger seared into Zarkon's shoulder. The large man cried out and clutched his injury, dropping his aura in the process. Silverwing and Red Shadow both fell to the floor, but Silverwing wasted no time in leaping forward and shoving Zarkon with all his might. Zarkon dropped to the floor with a hiss and skid to the opposite wall.

Red Shadow got to his knees, gasping for air. "Go destroy the machine," he told Silverwing. He stood up weakly. "I'll distract him."

"But—."

"Go!"

Red Shadow sped forward just as Zarkon was getting to his feet. Red Shadow summoned his own aura and flung the nearest heavy object at him. Zarkon needed only a moment before using his own powers to stop it. The hunk of metal hung is midair, red and purple intermixing around it while the users struggled for control of it.

"Foolish boy," Zarkon spat. "Don't you remember what happened the last time your tried to fight me?"

"Your missions have given me a lot of practice since then," Red Shadow replied through grit teeth. He pushed back against Zarkon, auras growing stronger until the metal finally exploded.

Meanwhile, Silverwing headed to the machine and he slammed into it as hard as he could. The machine dented and wobbled, and Silverwing kept going.

"Pidge!" He called. "Do you think you can hack your way into this machine?"

_"No, but—maybe I can gain access to the giant computer near you. If Keith can't beat him, maybe I can stop him from launching the machine."_

"Hopefully it won't come to that. But it won't hurt to be safe."

Red Shadow and Zarkon continued to fling things at each other, including concentrated bursts of the aura itself. Red Shadow managed to get a few hits in, but was mostly just taking a beating. It was okay. As long as he kept Zarkon occupied while Silverwing destroyed the machine.

Red Shadow stepped too close, and Zarkon took his opportunity. Reaching out his hand, he froze his opponent in midair once more.

Silverwing looked up, blood boiling when he noticed the danger. Looking up at the dented machine before him, he decided to kill two birds with one stone.

Just as Zarkon was revelling in his victory, the entirety of the machine flew at him and smashed him into the wall.

Red Shadow dropped to the ground, taking a moment to recover before Silverwing came to help him up.

"No fair," Red Shadow coughed. "I've been trying to throw heavy objects at him this whole time."

Silverwing flashed a raw smile. "You were a good diversion."

The two of them approached the machine cautiously, expecting Zarkon to pop out from under it any second.

"So," Silverwing began. "Is he...?"

"Doubt it," Red Shadow replied quickly. He summoned his power again and started slowly moving the machine. "But this is our chance. We have to slam this against a wall or something before he wakes up."

"Got it." Silverwing got into a fighting stance as Keith slowly moved the machine to reveal an unconscious Zarkon. As he watched, Red Shadow, spun around with the machine to gain momentum, then flung it toward the far wall. Silverwing braces himself for the impact...but it never came.

Purple aura stopped it.

"No—!" Red Shadow cried, but before either of them could react, they suddenly found themselves laying on their backs, purple aura holding them on the ground with immense pressure. They struggled like a pair of flopping fish, but with Zarkon standing over them and shoving them down with all the energy he could spare, it was useless.

"I'm impressed, you almost had me for a moment," Zarkon mused. "You even damaged my precious machine. Bad news, however—it still functions just fine."

With a flick of his hand, Zarkon moved the machine back up to its perch, where it started pulsing with energy once again. Silverwing and Red Shadow could do nothing but watch in dismay.

Zarkon stepped nonchalantly over their struggling forms and walked over to the control panel. Pausing only a moment, he placed his hand on a monitor nearby, and the whole thing lit up purple.

Immediately, Pidge shouted in surprise in their earpieces.

_"What?! No, no, no!"_ Silverwing heard her smashing a few keys, before she groaned. _"Shiro, I—I'm sorry. He caught me before I could finish. He locked me out of his system. I can't do anything."_

Silverwing grit his teeth, closed his eyes and tried to stay calm. This couldn't be it. There had to be some other way.

Beneath them, the heroes felt the floor start to rise, out of the the underground fortress and up to the city above.

Somewhere to the side, Zarkon spoke to them again. "I admit you two have surprised me a few times. But as I told you before: you cannot stop me."

The sunlight burst through as the platform made it above ground. Silverwing shut his eyes, nauseated by the motion, gritting his teeth as they rose to a higher elevation.

Eventually, they slowed to a stop. Zarkon lifted Silverwing and Red Shadow off the platform, holding them in an upright position. Silverwing could now see the city before them, and to his horror, more of Zarkon's robots started to appear. Several of the familiar tower-shaped machine's were rising out of the ground across the landscape. Below, people were screaming.

Zarkon walked slowly up to his pulsing machine as he summoned more aura around his hands. "Now the people of New Arus will know who the most powerful person in the city truly is. Watch and learn. This is how to make them respect you."

"No..." Red Shadow whispered.

Zarkon raised his hands over his head, then slammed them down into two indents on either side of the machine. Immediately, the machine's pulsing turned bright purple and began to charge. As Zarkon cried out with effort, his aura blasted as a beam out the end of the machine and headed straight for one of the robot towers. Like an antenna, the robot received the signal and then bounced it off the the next one.

Within a matter of seconds, the beam created a web that spread around the city, and aura oozed down from it until it covered everything they could see. It was just like when Red Shadow had used his power to control an entire building, but this time, it was a thousand times worse. There was an eerie purple glow everywhere, and Silverwing couldn't do anything about it.

After a moment, Zarkon turned away from the machine to face them, his eyes now glowing bright lilac with power. "Yes," he whispered. "I can feel it. I can see everything—the whole city I under my control." He flashed a disgusting, toothy grin. "I am more powerful than I have ever been. Do you still believe you can stop me?"

Silverwing growled. Zarkon took one step forward and slammed him down again, the pressure building on him. Silverwing cried out in pain and tried to struggle, but it was no use. It seemed that Zarkon wanted to squeeze him until he burst open like a cherry.

"Now that you've seen my victory come to fruition," Zarkon growled. "I no longer have any want for you."

"Zarkon, you son of a bitch!" Red Shadow suddenly burst out. "Let go of him! You fucking deranged psychopath!"

Red Shadow continued cursing and struggling, wisps of red aura being quickly overpowered. Zarkon turned to him, amused, his grip on Silverwing loosening slightly.

"Oh, Red Shadow," Zarkon drawled. "Now do you know how foolish you were to turn against me? I could have been willing to forgive you for being captured, but you had to go and team up with the enemy. Such a pity. I was planning to give you power over this place. You would have made an excellent right hand man."

Red Shadow paused a moment, studying Zarkon, expression desperate. "You're lying," he replied. "You wouldn't have given me anything. You never cared about me."

To their surprise, Zarkon's expression softened. "You know that's not true, Red Shadow. Why would I have taken the time to train you if I didn't care? I made you what you are today. We were the only ones who could trust each other in this world. In a way, we are family."

Red Shadow gulped, the words seeming to strike a nerve.

"Keith," Silverwing choked out. "Don't listen to him—mmph!"

His mouth was forced shut, and Zarkon kept his attention on Red Shadow.

"Even now," Zarkon continued. "I find it hard to fight against you—especially since there's no longer a purpose." He took a step closer. "Look around you, Red Shadow. I've won. There's no reason left to keep fighting. Wouldn't it be better to come back to my good graces, to be safe from everything, rather than die here pointlessly?"

Red Shadow was quiet.

"I'm in a good mood. I am willing to let you go. To give you whatever you desire. As long as you put this little rebellion to an end."

Red Shadow glanced at Silverwing, struggling on the ground. He looked out at the city, shrouded in purple. Then, he bowed his head, submissive.

"...you're right."

Silverwing stopped struggling, his heart sinking at Red Shadow's words.

"I—I don't know what I was thinking," Red Shadow continued, looking crushed. "You're the only one who was ever there for me, and I was stupid. Forgive me."

_"What?!"_ Allura screamed through the comm. _"You've got to be fucking kidding me!"_

Silverwing felt the tears prick at his eyes but blinked them back. This couldn't be happening. Keith couldn't be betraying him _now,_ not when he needed him the most...

Zarkon cautiously brought Red Shadow down to his feet, still not releasing him from the aura.

"I'm so sorry," Red Shadow sobbed. "Please, don't kill me. I promise I won't turn against you any more. Please, let me go. I'll do whatever you ask of me from now on."

Zarkon squinted at him. "You know what will happen if you betray me again."

"I won't. I swear. You're the only one I can trust. I don't belong anywhere but by your side."

Satisfied, Zarkon released Red Shadow and let him land on his feet, finally free. Red Shadow reminded slumped over for a moment before standing up straight, facing Zarkon with resolve. Silverwing's friends cursed him out through the comm in his ear, to which Red Shadow calmly removed it, dropping it in Zarkon's hand to be crushed like a bug.

Zarkon smiled approvingly, placing a hand on Red Shadow's back. "Glad to have you back on board. Take a look—this is our city."

As Zarkon turned away, Silverwing managed to get his mouth moving again. _"Keith!"_ He screamed at his back. "What the hell are you doing?!"

"I'm sorry, Shiro," Red Shadow replied monotonously. "I have no choice."

"You traitor," he hissed, trying not to let his voice waver. _"I_ was there for you! I was going to _forgive_ you! I thought you were a _good person!"_

Red Shadow didn't reply or look at him, and Zarkon turned back to face him.

"I've had just about enough of you," Zarkon snapped. "Goodbye, superhero. You lose."

Silverwing screamed as the pain grew stronger.

Red Shadow grit his teeth, doing his best to tune out the awful sound. He was free. Zarkon had his back turned, and this could be his only chance. He took a deep breath, summoned his aura, and sprinted toward Zarkon's machine.

With all the strength he could muster, Red Shadow sent a blast of aura hurtling toward the machine. It crashed into the hull with a loud crunch and for a moment he swore he saw the blanket of aura around the city flash a bright red before all of it disappeared.

Zarkon yelled in pain and surprise, dropping Silverwing to the ground. He was down for only a second before whirling on Red Shadow again.

"Not even thirty seconds, Red Shadow?" Zarkon snarled. "You really are an ungrateful little brat."

"You're a damn fool for thinking I'd actually join with you again," Red Shadow replied. "I don't want your forgiveness, I don't want your protection! I want you taken _down!_ I _hate you!"_

All was silent for a moment. Zarkon and Red Shadow stare each other down while Silverwing groggily got to his feet.

It had been a trick. Red Shadow had bought them some time. But at what cost...?

"Go on then, kill me," Red Shadow spat. "Blow me off this roof. That's what you said you'd do, wasn't it?"

Zarkon didn't move. Silverwing gathered his strength, bolting forward with fist wound up...but was halted in his tracks once more.

"I did say that," Zarkon replied slowly. "But first," He turned to Silverwing and stretched out his hand. "I think I'm going to finish that failed mission of yours."

This time, instead of squeezing Silverwing's breath out of him like before, Zarkon started gathering his aura into a ball around his fist--an energy blast that would hit Silverwing at close range and kill him much more quickly.

Red Shadow jumped into action. _"No!"_

Without a second thought, he launched himself at Zarkon, red aura lashing out in wild desperation. He jumped onto Zarkon's enormous outstretched arm, using his aura to push Silverwing away and attempt to divert the blast.

His attempt succeeded. The blast exploded, and Red Shadow took the hit.

Silverwing's heart hammered as he watched Red Shadow fall off the platform, unconscious.

_"Keith!"_

Not sparing a thought to the madman still standing on the platform, Silverwing jumped off, zooming down to where Red Shadow's unmoving form was falling toward the city's skyline. Around them, the blanket of purple aura returned to cover the city, but Silverwing barely noticed. All that mattered now was catching Red Shadow before he hit the ground.

Flying as fast as he could, Silverwing scooped Red Shadow out of the sky, holding him close. His heart continued hammering as he prayed that Red Shadow would make it--he couldn't lose him now.

A few minutes later, Silverwing touched down in a dark area behind a building. Red Shadow was breathing weakly in his arms. Silverwing slowly set him down.

"Keith," he whispered shakily. "Are you okay?? Are you going to be okay?"

Red Shadow winced. "It--it's all good. Just a little energy blast. Nothing I can't handle."

"You idiot," Silverwing scolded, blinking back the tears that had started to form in his eyes. "You took the hit for me, you could have died! Why did you _do_ that?"

Red Shadow laughed, hollowly and in pain, and looked up at Silverwing as if the answer was the most obvious thing in the world.

"I love you."

Silverwing froze, eyes widening in disbelief. There wasn't a hint of insincerity or regret in Red Shadow's eyes, only the unabashed smile of someone completely and utterly enamored.

Silverwing took a shaky breath and leaned down to hold Red Shadow closer. "I'm sorry, Keith," he whispered. "I'm so sorry I doubted you."

Red Shadow snorted. "It's okay. I didn't really have much of a chance to warn you up there--"

"Not just that," Silverwing said. "I'm sorry I _ever_ doubted you. I should have known you weren't really a bad person."

Red Shadow blinked, surprised, and finally pushed himself into a sitting position. Silverwing gently touched his cheek and pulled his face took look at him once more.

"We're going to get through this, sweetheart," Silverwing whispered. "We're going to be okay, I promise."

Red Shadow smiled widely and reached up to hold Silverwing's hand. He took a deep breath, and then turned to look back up at the platform.

"...I have an idea for how to beat him," Red Shadow began. He turned back to Silverwing with a pained look. "But you're not going to like it."

Silverwing frowned. "What is it?"

Red Shadow tried to stand, and Silverwing quickly helped him up by slinging an arm around his shoulder. When they were on their feet, Red Shadow pointed up to the machine, still pulsing and sending its beam all over the city.

"When I attacked his machine with my aura, everything turned red for a second. I think...maybe I can overtake it with my own aura. Then I could destroy the machine and maybe destroy him too."

"Sounds fine to me--what's the problem?"

Red Shadow winced. "The machine was built specifically for Zarkon, and you've probably noticed that he has a lot more stamina than me. It would take a lot of energy out of me to overrule his aura with the machine--more than I normally would use."

Silverwing pressed his lips together. "And you're already weak from the hit you took."

Red Shadow looked at the ground and nodded. "I wouldn't make it through."

Silverwing shook his head. "Then we'll have to figure out something else."

"Shiro..." Red Shadow pleaded. "Zarkon is too powerful to defeat without me using my powers to their fullest extent. There might not be any other way. We already knew going into this that I would probably die, and--"

_"No,"_ Silverwing snapped. "I'm not going to let you sacrifice yourself." He reached up to touch his headset. "Pidge, you got plenty of chances to study that machine. What weaknesses might it have?"

On the other end, Pidge was heard sighing in frustration. _"I don't know, Shiro. Zarkon locked me out of the system and I couldn't even run proper scans on it. All I had were visuals, and even though you smashed the hell out of it, it still works. Zarkon must have built it to be indestructible."_

Silverwing sighed and looked around him for any sort of clue. "His plan doesn't work without all those towers. Maybe we could take those out and destroy his support."

Red Shadow shook his head. "There's too many. Zarkon would notice if you took out even just one, and we'd just have to fight him again."

_"Some kind of diversion, maybe?"_ Matt suggested. _"He knocked Red Shadow clean off of there, he might think he's dead. Shiro can go face him alone, distract him, and then Keith can sneak up on him and attack him from behind."_

"That might work," Silverwing replied. "Keith was able to stop the machine for a moment before when Zarkon was focused on me. If you attack _Zarkon_ this time, and make it swift, then you'll probably be able to take him out."

Red Shadow thought this over, then nodded. "It's worth a shot."

After taking a minute to make sure Red Shadow was back on his feet, the two of them slowly started making their way back up to the platform. Zarkon was turned away from them, toward the purple-tinted horizon. The two superheroes remained hidden for a moment, studying the playing field. Then, they gave each other a short nod, and Silverwing made his way up into view.

Zarkon's back was turned to him. Silverwing touched down, panting, then cleared his throat loudly. Zarkon turned slowly, eyes glowing as he looked Silverwing over.

"Still not tired?" Zarkon asked dryly.

"No," Silverwing growled. "I'm not giving up anytime soon. I _will_ put a stop to this, Zarkon, no matter what the cost."

Zarkon sighed in annoyance. He took a moment to look around. "And where's Red Shadow?"

Silverwing did his best to look pained. "You saw him fall off from here just like I did. He's gone. Because of _you."_

For a moment, Zarkon almost looked shocked. Then his face hardened into a snarl once more. "He knew what was coming," he snapped. "And so do you, if you don't get away from here this instant."

Silverwing crouched into a fighting stance. "Never."

"Then it's over for you."

Once again, Zarkon easily froze Silverwing in place and began charging up his energy blast. Silverwing grit his teeth and closed his eyes, silently praying that Red Shadow would show up in time.

Just as Zarkon had his focus poured into the energy blast, a flash of red suddenly streaked through the air, and Red Shadow tackled Zarkon from behind. Zarkon cried out in surprise as a blast of red energy sent him flailing, his own energy blast fizzling out. Red Shadow held on tight, and pressed his palms against Zarkon's temples. Red surrounded them both for just a second, before Zarkon managed to shake him off.

_"Enough!"_ Zarkon cried. He flung Red Shadow off of him with brute strength and Red Shadow landed a few feet from the aura machine, grunting in pain.

Suddenly, Zarkon wobbled on his feet and fell to his knees, holding his head and groaning. Silverwing dropped to the floor, confused but relieved.

_"Red Shadow must have disoriented him!"_ Allura shouted. _"Get him, Shiro!"_

She didn't need to say it twice. Silverwing leapt forward and tackled Zarkon all the way to the ground, using his super strength to keep him down. But something was wrong. Despite Zarkon being down, the blanket of aura was still all over the city.

Zarkon tried to fight back while Silverwing was distracted, but in his weakened state, he wasn't able to get the superhero off him. Silverwing locked him in a chokehold and looked around wildly for his partner.

He spotted Red Shadow struggling to get up by the machine. He hated making him work more, but Silverwing was occupied right now.

"Keith! Turn off the machine!"

Red Shadow nodded and scrambled to his feet, using the machine itself to support him. He looked over the controls, flipping a few switches in vain before slamming his fist down in frustration.

"Damn it!" He yelled back to Silverwing. "It's too late! He already loaded it up! I can't switch it off!"

On the floor, Zarkon laughed. "Of course, you fools. It's indestructible and cannot be turned off by anyone but me. By this point, the process of taking over the city is already complete. You've lost. There's nothing you can do."

Silverwing kept him pinned, but he felt his heart sinking. Slowly, he looked back at Red Shadow. The other hero was standing dejectedly over the machine, his face hardening with resolve.

Red Shadow looked back at Silverwing, a sad but determined expression on his face. Silverwing's eyes widened as he realized what he was going to do.

"No, Keith! Please, don't!" Silverwing begged.

But Red Shadow just smiled at him, placed his hands on the machine...and summoned his red aura one more time.

Zarkon tensed as he realized what was happening too. "No! Don't you dare!" He elbowed Silverwing off him as barreled straight toward Red Shadow. Silverwing tackled him down again, wrestling Zarkon as he fought back the tears.

Slowly, the blanket around the city changed in color from purple to red as Red Shadow overtook it. Red Shadow cried out with great effort and pushed on, his aura seeming to glow brighter than ever before.

_"No, no!"_ Zarkon yelled again. He pushed Silverwing off again and ran closer to the machine...but then stopped short as Red Shadow turned to him.

He was glowing, eyes and hair and hands the most, a deathly glare aimed right at Zarkon. He grunted again, and suddenly the direction of the beam started to reverse.

Red beams pulled back from the towers, back to the machine, and all that power condensed at the end of the machine into one enormous ball of energy. And with one more push, that deadly blast was aimed right at Zarkon.

For the first time, Zarkon was frozen in fear, defeated and looking at the one thing that could finally end him.

Red Shadow seethed at him, terrifying despite being doubled over in pain. "You...lose."

Zarkon cried out and desperately charged forward. Red Shadow screamed, throwing the last of his energy into one final blast.

_Boom._


	10. Endgame

Silverwing could barely process everything that happened after the blast from the aura machine. It was all a blur. He saw Zarkon, running up to the blast second before it hit him, completely disintegrating him where he stood. He saw the blast explode and the shock waves expand in multiple directions, barely giving him time to stumble off the platform. He heard the windows of nearby buildings break and the structure under the platform begin to collapse as he tried to re-orient himself to no avail.

Everything flashed red. Then, all was black.

Silverwing was unconscious for just a moment before he came to in midair. His heart skipped a beat, the unfamiliar feeling of free-fall pumping enough adrenaline to wake him up so he could fly again. A few rapid breaths later, he turned around to see, to his horror, that Zarkon's platform and everything on it was plummeting to the ground.

Silverwing immediately leapt into action. He dashed underneath the platform and caught it. While his strength was worn down from the fight, he still had enough to slowly carry the platform down, and set it on the damaged city roads.

Currently, no one was around, probably having evacuated before the machine was activated. Everyone was safe. Zarkon was dead. The city was free. They'd done it.

But Silverwing couldn't be relieved. Scrambling onto the platform, Silverwing stopped and stared and the motionless form of Keith, lying sprawled out next to the machine, drained and unresponsive.

They'd saved the day. But at what cost?

"Keith..." Silverwing whispered, holding back a sob. He walked over dejectedly, and knelt at Keith's side. Around him, he could hear helicopters approaching, but he didn't care. His eyes remained on Keith's pale face. Keith's mask had fallen off, his eyes closed and lips parted, looking ironically peaceful.

Tears pricked at Silverwing's eyes as he shakily brushed the hair out of his beloved's face. "Oh, Keith," he whispered again. "I told you not to do that." He gently picked up Keith by the shoulders, pulling him into a hug that couldn't be returned.

He should be happy that they won. But right now, he felt like he'd lost everything that mattered.

"I'm sorry," he continued, letting tears roll down his cheek at last. "I'm so sorry, Keith. For everything. I _love_ you so much, and I—I shouldn't have _ever_ made you think that wasn't true." He buried his face into Keith's shoulder, sobbing, trying to hold onto whatever measly scraps of him were left. "I love you, Keith, I love you, I'm sorry, I'm _so_ sorry."

Silverwing's friends were silent in his earpiece, giving him his moment to grieve. Silverwing kept holding Keith tight, sniffling and weeping onto his shoulder. There was noise around them, which normally would prompt Silverwing to leave, but not now. He could barely bring himself to move. How would he go on without Keith?

He should be happy right now. But all he felt was _pain._ As if someone had cut him open and left him to bleed out. It wasn't _fair._ After everything that happened, it just wasn't fair. And the pain was almost unbearable.

"...'s'okay."

Silverwing froze. That voice...no, it couldn't be.

He pulled Keith away from his embrace to see a faint smile, and violet eyes, just barely open, staring up at him fondly.

"What...?" Silverwing whispered, shocked.

Keith took a shallow breath, and managed to smile wider. "It's okay. Not your fault. Don't blame yourself, idiot."

Silverwing blinked back his shock, then gave an elated laugh. "You're alive! But...how?"

"Aura protected me, I think," Keith replied. "Doesn't matter. Gift horse and all that." He winced, obviously in pain. "Ugh...get my mask for me, will you?"

Still shaken, Silverwing reached behind him and found Red Shadow's mask, noticing for the first time that news station helicopters were arriving on the scene. Yikes. If Keith was planning on living, he'd better keep his identity from being broadcast all over television.

Shiro placed the mask on Keith's face, hiding it from view, but still staring down at him lovingly. Slowly, he helped Keith into a more upright position, still supporting him with his arms. Shiro gulped.

"Keith, I...I thought I'd lost you."

Despite his obvious pain, Keith smirked. "Sorry to disappoint. I know I built up your expectations, so this must be—."

Shiro kissed him. He kissed him with all the fervor and emotion he could muster. Nothing felt like too much for Keith, he deserved all of this and more. Keith made a surprised noise, but returned the kiss happily, weakly but just as passionate.

"I'm so glad you're alive," Shiro whispered when he pulled away. "I love you, Keith. I mean it."

"I love you too, you dork," Keith bit his lip shyly and leaned on Shiro's shoulder. "I'm...sorry I made you worry."

"Hey, don't worry about that," Shiro replied softly. "Let's go get you patched up."

With that, Shiro scooped Keith into his arms and carried him off into the sky, past the helicopters, leaving the remains of their battle behind them.

—-

Luckily, there was a convenient bed in the base that Silverwing had used more than once to rest up after a battle. He laid Keith down and removed his mask, as his friends crowded around him to take a look.

"Vitals seem to be okay," Matt reported. "He just needs to rest up, get his energy back."

"I'm surprised that's all he needs," Pidge piped up. "You damn near blew yourself up out there."

Keith laughed weakly. Shiro frowned. "Get some sleep, okay? We'll come back to check on you."

"Shiro, I promise, I'll be fine," Keith told him. "I already feel a little better from before."

"I'd rather you feel a _lot_ better."

Keith smirked. Beside them, Allura cleared her throat.

"I know this might not be the best time to bring it up, but we couldn't really see what happened after the blast," she said quietly. "Did it...did it work? What happened to Zarkon?"

Keith tensed, but Shiro placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"Zarkon is gone," Shiro declared firmly. "I saw. Keith's power completely blew him apart."

Allura and the Holt siblings seemed to relax. "So, you guys won, then?" Matt said.

"Yeah. But it was mostly because of Keith." He turned to Keith and smiled softly. "You did it, baby. You beat him. He can't hurt you anymore. You're free."

Keith looked bewildered. "I-I'm—." He covered his mouth with his hand, suddenly overcome with emotion.

Shiro smiled wider. "That's right. But we can talk more later. Rest up." He leaned down to kiss his forehead, then ushered his friends out of the room so Keith could rest. Allura hesitated by the door for just a moment, looking like she wanted to say something, but then turned and left the room.

—-

A few hours later, Keith was sitting up in his bed when Shiro and the others came back to check on him. He didn't look back to his usual strength by any means, but he still looked better than before, much to Shiro's relief.

"Feeling better?" Shiro asked.

"Yeah," Keith gulped. "Physically, anyway."

Shiro frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know. I feel kinda...lost, all of a sudden." He looked up at him, eyes big and confused. "I mean...I'm happy, of course. I'm _glad_ Zarkon is gone. It's what I've wanted for years. But...what am I supposed to do now?"

Shiro couldn't help but laugh softly. "You can do whatever you want, baby. You don't have to figure it out right now."

"You know, we could always use a more... _permanent_ superhero team-up," Matt said, and his sister lit up.

"Oh my gosh, yes!" Pidge cried. "You guys can fight together all the time! How cool would that be?"

Keith blinked. "Me? A superhero?" He frowned. "I...don't think people would like that very much. I doubt most of them would trust me."

Allura quietly looked away, arms crossed.

Shiro took his boyfriend's hand and stroked it softly. "They'd need time to get used to it, for sure. But I know you can prove yourself to them. Just like you did with all of us." He paused, and shrugged. "But, I mean, that's just a suggestion. It's up to you, Keith."

Keith but his lip and smiled at Shiro as if he was the only one in the room. "I...I want to be with you. That's the only thing I'm sure of. And...after everything...I think I want to use my powers for good, for a change."

Shiro raised an eyebrow, getting excited in spite of himself. "So, is that a yes?"

"...sure, I guess I can give it a shot. For you."

Matt and Pidge gave a whoop.

Allura finally spoke up. "Well, that's wonderful. But if that's going to happen, you guys are going to have to stop calling each other by name on the field." She shot an annoyed look at Shiro, who was sheepish, while everyone else snickered. "I lost count of the amount of times I heard _'Shiro, Shiro! Keith, Keith!'_ over the comms today. Do you _want_ people to figure out who you are?"

"Right," Shiro rubbed the back of his head, embarrassed. "You don't have to scold us, Allura. Code names on the field from now on."

Keith looked down. "In that case, I want a new one." He frowned at his own hands in disgust. "Red Shadow is the name Zarkon gave me. But I don't want to be that person anymore."

"Yeah, that sounds like such a villain name, anyway," Pidge agreed. "You can have something so much cooler like, uh....Scarlet...Scarlet...Scarlet Witch! Wait no, that's taken. Uh..."

"Scarlet Aura?" Matt suggested. "Scarlet...Wisps? Scarlet Mind!"

Shiro shook his head in amusement and turned back to Keith. "We'll work on the name."

While Pidge and Matt continued arguing about Keith's new code name and Allura went back to being quiet, Shiro kept his eye on Keith. At first, Keith watched the conversation, bemused, but then seemed to space out again.

Shiro squeezed his hand and leaned closer to whisper. "What's on your mind?"

Keith but his lip and turned to him. "Um...I just wanted to say thank you, Shiro."

Shiro blinked, and Keith kept going.

"Thank you for...giving me a chance. And for just being there in general. When we first got together, I thought I was being selfish. And maybe I was, a little, but..." he took a deep breath. "Being with you gave me _courage._ If it wasn't for you, for the way I felt about you, I may have never had the guts to stand up to Zarkon. I would have never believed I was capable of...of doing anything good. So, thank you, Shiro. You have _no_ idea how much you mean to me."

Shiro smiled fondly and kissed Keith's forehead again. "You don't have to thank me. That was all you." He paused. "I only regret not believing in you for a moment."

Keith shrugged. "Hey, I don't blame you. We're here now, aren't we?"

Shiro nodded. "Yeah. We are."

At last, Allura cleared her throat and walked over to the side of Keith's bed. Matt and Pidge were busy staring at something on Pidge's phone and snickering.

"Keith..." Allura began, quietly. "I...I think I owe you an apology. I also regret not believing in you." She frowned at her crossed arms, ashamed. "Even when you were helping us, I kept saying I didn't trust you. It wasn't until you almost..." she paused, knowing it was still too fresh to mention. "So, I'm sorry. For not trusting you. I'm glad to have you on board."

Keith smiled. "Hey, water under the bridge, Allura. Don't worry about it."

Allura beamed and moved forward to give Keith a big hug. Keith blinked, surprised, but returned it.

As she held him close, Allura whispered in Keith's ear. _"That being said, if you break Shiro's heart again, I will toss you off a cliff."_

Keith grinned. _"No need. I'd do it myself first."_

Allura seemed satisfied with this and let go, giving Keith a curt, approving nod. Shiro seemed confused by the sudden tension in the room, but said nothing.

Instead, he turned to Pidge and Matt, who were giggling hysterically at something on Pidge's phone. Shiro raised an eyebrow.

"What are you guys laughing at?"

Matt and Pidge looked up, stifling more laughs. "I-it's just..." Matt replies, "One of the news-copters caught you guys kissing, and now everyone is losing their shit."

Shiro and Keith blinked. "...what?"

Pidge turned her phone for them to see. Taking up the whole screen was a still shot of Silverwing and Red Shadow, costumed, caught up in their post-battle kiss. As people clamored in the video, several headlines flashed by, such as _"An Unexpected Twist!"_ and _"Enemies to Lovers??"_

Keith closed his eyes and started counting to ten. Shiro facepalmed, but couldn't help the wry smile on his face.

"Well. I guess everyone's going to be real confused."

—-

"I am so fucking confused!!"

Lance's loud voice rang through the room as Shiro and Keith stepped in for a break. He was talking with Hunk and Shay, as usual, flailing his phone around while the two of them just looked amused.

Keith grimaced as soon as he saw him. "What's that idiot yelling about now?"

Shiro squeezed his hand. "Let's go find out."

Hunk waved at the couple as they approached, but before he could say anything, Lance noticed their presence and shoved his phone in their faces. "You guys! Have you seen this??"

Shiro pushed the phone away to get a better look, and smiled tightly when he saw the same kissing picture that was all over the place now. "Hah. Yep, we've seen that."

"I don't understand! Can _you_ explain this? Can _anyone_ explain why Silverwing and Red Shadow are _making out??_ I thought they hated each other's guts!"

Keith rubbed his temple. "Ugh, I have a headache..."

Shiro smiled weakly in a feeble attempt to mediate the situation. "I don't think it's that big of a deal, Lance. It may be a shock to us, but we don't know anything about their personal lives. Something must have happened behind the scenes that we don't know about."

Lance shook his head. "I would have believed that if he was kissing literally anyone else. But this guy?" He pointed at his phone incredulously. _"This guy??"_

"Well, they did team up to fight that purple guy, didn't they?" Shay asked innocently. "Maybe that was just a 'yay, we did it!' happy victory kiss?"

Lance sighed. "Oh, Shay, you are so naive. No, trust me. I know kisses. This ain't a victory kiss. This is a 'we've been secretly dating for months and didn't realize we were being watched' kiss."

Hunk, who had been stuck in a perpetual eye roll for the past minute, finally spoke up. "Why is there a specific type of kiss for that?"

"Maybe Red Shadow had the hots for Silverwing all along," Keith piped up. "And he just kept causing trouble as a way to get his attention."

Shiro almost choked on his coffee. Keith smirked at him.

Lance looked scandalized. "What—so you're saying all that destruction and chaos was just an _act?!_ Hell no! I refuse to believe that! Especially after what he did to my car!"

"You know, I'm actually glad your car was destroyed. Full offense."

Lance was about to retort, when Hunk cleared his throat and brought him back to the topic. "So, I'm gonna go out on a limb here and guess that you don't really ship this new superhero pairing."

"No, I don't!" Lance hugged, pouting like a child. "In fact, I think there's something fishy going on here! I bet Red Shadow's _manipulating_ Silverwing somehow! Yeah! I bet he's messing with him for some other malicious plot!"

Keith looked down. Shiro frowned.

But Shay jumped in to save the day. She clasped her hands together and beamed. "Oh, don't be such a pessimist, Lance! Maybe this is a _good_ story! Maybe Red Shadow changed his ways for love."

Any anger Shiro may have felt dissolved. He glanced over at Keith, who was giving him a soft, genuine smile. Shiro smiled back without a second thought.

Lance was shaking his head when they tuned back in. "I wish I could be as sweet and optimistic as you, Shay."

Hunk shrugged. "We can speculate about it all day, but I doubt we'll ever actually know for sure." He put a hand on Lance's shoulder. "Get back to the office Lance. Get yourself busy so you don't drive yourself crazy over this."

Lance shoved his phone into his pocket. "Hmph. Fine. But I'm not over this. I _will_ figure out what's going on!" With that, he turned and stomped back to the office, while the rest of them shook their heads in bemusement.

"Oh, speaking of love," Shay turned to Keith and Shiro with a grin. "I'm glad you two seem to have worked things out."

"Oh yeah," Hunk added. "Things were a little...tense with you for a hot second. It was a little awkward. But...you're okay now, right?"

Keith looked sheepish, but Shiro smiled and squeezed his hand again. "Yeah. Better than ever."

—-

That evening, they stood atop the roof of Keith's apartment building, watching the sun set over the city skyline. Both were lost in their own thoughts, but Shiro soon spoke up.

"So, uh. I'm sorry if you were bothered by what Lance said today. I know it probably wasn't easy to stand around and listen to him say all that stuff about you."

Keith scoffed. "Don't worry, I don't care what Lance thinks. Besides," he discreetly started playing with a leaf in front of him, making it float with just a wisp of red aura. He continued speaking softly, "It's expected. I know I still have plenty of minds to change."

Shiro watched him play with the leaf. While seeing Keith use his aura was still a little bit weird, he supposed he was getting used to it now. It was rather fascinating, if he was being honest. Much like Keith himself. "Hey, they'll see it in time, I told you. Now that you're not working for Zarkon, people will finally see the real you."

Keith hummed. "I guess so." He paused. "It...still feels so strange, you know? Suddenly being free. Having nothing and nobody to answer to anymore."

Shiro chuckled. "Well, nothing except the call of duty, anyway."

"Right," Keith replied. "But, you know, I could get used to this."

Shiro hummed in agreement. Keith was now guiding the leaf along an intricate path, somehow able to weave a detailed web with little effort. Amazing.

Shiro grinned. "What are you doing to that thing?"

Keith's web disappeared in his surprise, but he grinned and floated the leaf over to Shiro, shrugging cheekily. "Nothing. But I hear that making random things float is a pretty sexy way to impress someone you like. According to _Star Wars,_ anyway."

Shiro snorted and plucked the leaf from the air. "Taking romantic advice from Anakin Skywalker? Sounds like a bad idea."

"It's working, isn't it?"

Shiro turned his body to face Keith. "Keith, love, you already worked your magic on me a long time ago."

Keith mirrored his action and took a step closer, rolling his eyes with a grin. "Ugh. You always say such sappy stuff."

Shiro met him in the middle, hugging him around the waist with a grin of his own. "It's working, isn't it?"

Keith responded by wrapping his arms around Shiro's neck and kissing him deeply. Shiro eagerly returned it, pulling Keith closer and taking a hand through his hair. Keith sighed happily, savoring every moment.

It hadn't been too long since they'd last kissed, but since the battle, every moment with Shiro was worth savoring. Keith thought he'd lost all of this forever, but by some miracle, he was still here. He was still alive, and Shiro still loved him. So damn right, he was going to hold onto this moment for as long as he possibly could.

And then, an interruption.

The static in their earpieces crackled to life, and Shiro regrettably pulled away.

_"Silverwing!"_ Pidge's voice called out. _"And uh...Crimson Wind! We have a situation downtown, and, uh..." she paused, no doubt looking at something on her monitor. "Um, are you guys together right now?"_

Shiro sighed. "Yes Pidge, we're together. Don't worry about it, though."

Keith was grimacing. "Crimson _Wind?_ Is that what we're going with??"

_"I'm still working on it! Anyway, sorry for interrupting, but something creepy is happening downtown right now. People are disappearing. Like, literally poof, and they're gone."_

Shiro's eyes widened. "What? How?"

_"I don't know how, but I do know who. There's this weird old lady in a robe and a floating car calling herself Honerva."_ Shiro's phone buzzed as Pidge sent him pictures. _"And she's out here beaming people up like Star Trek. No one knows why, and police can't do much without getting zapped themselves. They need you down there, like, now."_

Keith pressed his lips together and frowned at the burning sunset. "So. Duty calls, huh?"

Shiro took his hand and nodded firmly, already smiling with determination. We'll pick this up later. Right now it's time to kick some ass."

Somehow, Shiro's excitement was contagious, and Keith found himself grinning right back. "Then let's suit up."

**~Fin~**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is the chapter title too on the nose? Lol  
> Thanks so much for reading this!


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